Yesterday I went and saw Wes Anderson’s new film The Phoenician Scheme and then I went home and rewatched Rushmore.
I liked the movie. The new one. I liked a lot about it, and I even got some chills right at the beginning. The opening sequence was something that I wasn’t expecting from an Anderson film.
I found it to be cynical, frightening, and oddly cold. I liked all of these elements.
Benicio Del Toro’s performance is very serious, he’s very imposing, especially in the beginning, and seeing him surrounded by Anderson’s typical mise-en-scène gives the film an offbeat touch.
But it is a comedy, and it’s very funny. So there’s that.
Anderson’s last few films have all had a very similar energy to them. The characters hardly smile, or show any emotion on their faces for that matter, and the stories are mish-mashed genre pieces that embrace the building blocks but leave out the passion.
Or at least the passion is very subtle, if not down right hidden.
The roboticism of the actor’s delivery is very specific. Clearly Anderson worked hard to get everyone on the same page with what he’s looking for, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why he would choose to do that. It’s something he obviously wants, as it has been present in his last few films, but what’s its purpose?
I liked the movie, but there was a disconnect. Like the characters were just a little too afraid to say what they meant, like they were struggling with holding back a greater emotion that lay underneath.
And since the movie is done, and those characters are trapped within those 145 minutes that will be the same every time that it is watched, those feelings will never be shared.