No matter how many times Wes Anderson claims he doesn’t have an aesthetic, we can all spot any of his films a mile away, and every new release comes with distinct stylistic choices.
Anderson’s style hit its stylized stride with 2001’s “The Royal Tenenbaums,” and from there on has only been obsessively accentuated, controlled, these last 25 years. Anderson’s doubling down of this style came with a more minimalist approach to story and that’s rubbed some people the wrong way.
Wes’ latest, “The Phoenician Scheme,” which stars Benicio del Toro as a wealthy businessman who designates his daughter, a nun, as the sole heir to his estate, is playing in Cannes competition, as did three his previous films. THR’s Scott Feinberg is now hearing that ‘Phoenician’ might be Anderson’s best work in well over 10 years.
‘Phoenician’ is said to be Anderson’s strongest work since The Grand Budapest Hotel, which premiered at Berlin and went on to nine Oscar nominations, including best picture, four of which resulted in wins in crafts areas, where his films always shine.
I haven’t heard a thing about ‘Phoenician Scheme,’ and it hasn’t tested at all, but Scott has his sources, and of all the U.S. titles playing at Cannes, he specifically points out Anderson’s film and Jennifer Lawrence’s turn in Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love.”
Anderson’s style is as recognizable as they come. No other filmmaker could come up with the minutiae attention-to-detail. The obsessively constructed frames, and solid colours synonymous in his works. The flat space camera moves, symmetrical compositions, and handmade art direction are a singular aesthetic.
If we initially expected Anderson’s next film to have a smaller cast, then we’ve been proven wrong. The cast led by Del Toro, is an ensemble: Michael Cera, Bill Murray, Mia Threapleton, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Benedict Cumberbatch. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston and Hope Davis.
Roman Coppola is being credited as co-writer on the project. This isn’t the first time Coppola has partnered with Anderson — he also co-wrote “The Darjeeling Limited” and “Moonrise Kingdom.” The script for “The Phoenician Scheme” is said to have been written around the time of those films, in the late aughts.
Anderson is coming off 2023’s “Asteroid City.” He also won his first Oscar last year for his live-action Netflix short “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” He’s one of the few directors in Hollywood who doesn’t compromise his vision, and continues to get his passion projects funded with A-list actors taking paycuts to star in them. I look forward to every one of his films.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.