Title: The French Dispatch
Year: 2021
Director: Wes Anderson
Country: US
Language: English
Whenever a new Wes Anderson film comes out I take great joy in being able to view it. I have enjoyed them all, from his debut Bottle Rocket (1996) to his previous picture Isle of Dogs (2018), and have a decisive favourite with Darjeeling Limited (2007). Covid delayed The French Dispatch for over a year, but I have finally been able to see it!
French Dispatch is set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch Magazine".
A love letter to journalists made during a period in American history where journalists have been made enemies of the people (if this came out during the Trump administration the point would have really been poignant) The French Dispatch is a poetic, lyrical picture that has a structure like a newspaper. The three stories within are fascinating; they really had me thinking up creative ways to tell strange stories.
I particularly fell in love with The Concrete Prison; a story wherin a self loathing art painter (Benicio Del Toro) is exploited by a greedy capitalist (Adrien Brody). It was quirky, offbeat and had enough inspiration to be its own feature film.
The French Dispatch is not a film you watch for its narrative or character development. It's a film that defies a label & can't be easily explained because it leaves so much space for free association. This is a worthwhile watch, albeit I do understand the mixed reviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment