Asteroid City: The perfect narration of life
How Wes Anderson blended style to create yet another extraordinary tale
I am sure that all of you have watched a movie at least once in your life; however, I am certain that only a few have ever witnessed a movie inside a special feature inside a movie. Sounds confusing, doesn't it? Well that is the entire point behind Wes Anderson’s latest film: Asteroid City.
Confusion. At this point, confusion might also be considered a thread that connects all of us. It is funny how confusion is a prevalent factor in all our lives, and in his movie, Wes Anderson explores the concept of confusion through his unique and vibrant style of cinematography.
For those who know of and admire Wes Anderson’s works, it goes without saying that he is one of, if not the most creative, filmmakers of his generation. For the rest, let us just say that his works are highly stylized. Obviously uniqueness comes with its own share of criticism and like always, Anderson has been once again criticised heavily and some have even termed it as Wes Anderson’s worst film. However, as an avid fan of Anderson’s works, I am of the opinion that Asteroid City might just be one of his best works.
In Asteroid City, Anderson takes us back in time, all the way to the 1950s and at the very beginning, we get to see a very formal Bryan Cranston appear as a television host, narrating a documentary of renowned playwright Conrad Earp called Asteroid City.
What exactly is Asteroid City ? It is a city based in Western America, and might be one of the best landscapes I have seen in a movie. Situated right in the middle of the vast desert, Asteroid City is surrounded by nothing and it immediately conveys a sense of isolation and confusion which would later turn out to be the key aspects of the movie. If one observes clearly, the landscape has been beautifully designed. The city, known as the site of an ancient meteor crash, occupies a negligible area, and the only landmarks in the entire city are restricted to a gas station, a resort (or rather a collection of tents), and a ramp that is indefinitely closed.
This is exactly where Anderson introduced his brilliance and painted the screen with vibrant hues of orange, yellow, and blue. By looking at the screen, a sense of vibration can be felt. Of course, every detail exists in the city, starting from the very cactuses to the displays on the vending machines.
The story is precise but enjoyable. There is not much of a plot to the film at all and in fact there is no story at all. This is where many people might make the mistake of dejecting brilliance. Asteroid City is all about characters. Every single character in the play has their own story to tell and although every story is unique, they are backed by a sense of grief and anxiety.
We get introduced to the first character of the play in the first scene: Augie Steenback (Jason Schwartzmann), a war photographer who has arrived in the city with his son Woodrow and his three young daughters. Augie Steenback might be one of my favourite characters of the film. Steenback seems to lack emotions throughout the entire play and appears more or less as a meek and naive character but deep down Augie shares his own sense of emotions ranging from grief to love. Augie is a character who maintains the balance between reality and imagination. In a conversation with his father in law Stanley (Tom Hanks), Augie probably delivers one of the most touching dialogues of the entire film:
“The time is never right, the time is always wrong.”
In fact, Augie’s character is so confusing that Jones Hall, the actor playing Augie’s role, goes up to director Schubert Green (Adrian Brody) and tells him, “I still do not understand the play…I feel lost….There must be an answer out there in the cosmic wilderness…..am I doing it correctly “ in reply to which Green just tells “It doesn't matter just keep telling the story.”
Augie Steenback on a call with his father in law
In short, it is this very ‘six and half minutes’ of the play that conveys the entire point of the film- to encapsulate the struggles and perplexity of life. The story shows the dangerous game of life where every character is just adapting themselves in their own ways.
Augie’s genius son Woodrow (Jake Ryan), who is another very interesting character, is joined by four other brainy students, all of whom have been invited to Asteroid City to be awarded for their accomplishments in the field of science. What is more interesting is that every kid has their own story to tell. For example, Woodrow is introduced as a very shy teenager who minds his own matters, but what distinguishes him from others is his curiosity to gain more knowledge. Who could have expected the shyest character from the show to end up with a girlfriend at the end of the movie ?
Anderson often switches between the play and the television scenes, while maintaining the equilibrium between the two. He somehow manages to run two stories parallel to each other, and both stories are equally meaningful. Outside the town, we are introduced to Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), the legendary playwright who seems to integrate his own deep emotions into plays and director Scubert Green, “ a bunny in bed” representing a typical Adrian Brody character. And of course, not to forget the ever beautiful Margot Robbie (originally supposed to play the role of Augie’s wife but had been removed from the play) who comes and shares her own regret of not being able to play her role.
I could go on and on and perhaps write a detailed description of every character in the movie, but for now, Asteroid City would be my number one recommendation to everyone. The story is satirically funny and has its bits of romance here and there, but overall, it is a complex story of life and its struggles are portrayed brilliantly by the best storyteller: the one and only Wes Anderson. Over the years, Wes Anderson has made his style distinctly recognizable and enjoyable, and Asteroid City might simply be an accumulation of years of experience.
Once again, Anderson managed to separate his own realm from the actual world of agony and broken hearts and narrate a brilliant, visually pleasing story to us. Asteroid City is funny; it is different; it is heart-touching, and finding the meaning of the movie is difficult. It is not for everyone. A typical Wes Anderson masterpiece.
Superbly written! Great review👍
insanely accurate!!