Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World

The rooftop tumble in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another brought to mind Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from 1953. If you know me you know I mean business here. This type of thing is funny to me. It's executed nicely here; a wheezing shell of a hippy trying to keep up with young cool skateboarders while rioters chant and Johnny Greenwood yammers away, the kids look like they're in West Side Story right before the punchline. Just beautiful stuff. Maybe my favorite thing he's ever done sans the Mattress Man commercial.   

The movie's Overture follows the French 75, an activist sect similar to the likes of The Weather Underground, The FLA, or The Black Panthers, carrying out bombings, bank robberies, and busting out caged migrants wrapped in emergency blankets. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson (or Ghetto Pat), the group's explosions expert, who works alongside Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), a fellow 75 soldier raised by a long line of black revolutionaries. She leads the group during a breakout of migrants in a clandestine detainment center. Here she meets/captures Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), the cartoonish monster in charge of the facility, and forces the Colonel to give himself an erection with no help of his hands. This punishment is instigated by Lockjaw blurting out "sweet thang" in a provoking manner as she passionately recites her comrades' mantra "Free borders. Free choices. Free from fear." It's a bizarre choice for anyone to make, though it appears here and throughout that Anderson has clear intentions of making Penn's villain plainly vile right from the start so as to not confuse anyone. 

This humiliation triggers a sexual obsession, spelled out in a scene where Penn masturbates (doing that weird lower incisors thing) to his captor holding a police officer at gun point, which in turn leads to him hunting her down and blackmailing her into a sexual relationship. How this guy knows the 75s whereabouts is beyond me, he seems very dumb otherwise. The opening scenes also elude to Bob and Perfidia's romance, hot and heavy, her attraction often spurred on by the rush of this propulsive life. Cut to a pregnant Perfidia unloading a machine gun, and behold there is trouble in paradise. As is often the case, Bob's political fervor caves under the pressures of fatherhood while she finds herself pulled in the opposite direction. According to Perfidia's mom, Gramma Minnie (Starletta Dupois), they aren't meant for each other as she's a runner and he's a stone. Gramma's living arrangement and the lack of police presence around her home implies that she is either in hiding or that she quit while the quitting was good, either way there's a way out if you play your cards right.

Their relationship begins to unravel via montage, where she expresses the need to be seen and that his love and affection for baby Willa (she's his only girl, am I weird for being jealous of my baby?), she's tired, she feels ugly, and her nipples hurt. These are all very real anxieties, I know I felt a huge identity crisis following the birth of my son. It's a jarring transition for anyone with not used to being shut in. When Bob confronts her about her paternal responsibilities as she's sneaking out to join the 75 she says "I put myself first and I reject your lack of originality" followed by "this is a new consciousness, I'm not your udder buddy, I'm not your mother. You want your power over me the same reason you want your power over the world. You and your crumbling male ego will never do this revolution like me" to which he responds in defeat "do the revolution baby." She's a runner alright. The return to the French 75 results in her killing a security guard during a botched bank robbery followed by her arrest. Her capture leaves her once again at the mercy of Lockjaw who convinces her to name names ("I put myself first"). This betrayal leads to arrests and assassinations, forcing Bob and her baby into hiding. In the midst of this, Perfidia realizes she has swapped one prison sentence for another and runs to Mexico where she remains in hiding. 

Fast forward 16 years and we find Bob a drunk and stoned, paranoid and wasting away holding his daughter captive in rural California. Willa is fulfilling the role of mother and child, living under the assumption her mom is a dead hero, trying to enjoy her teenage years. Bob is a heartbroken mess, his radical advocacy reduced to watching The Battle for Algiers, foraging for roaches, bloated, and perpetually hungover. Lockjaw and his pitiless soldiers learn of their whereabouts and the hunt begins. Willa winds up in the care of Deandra (Regina Hall) while Bob falls in with Willa's sensei (Benicio Del Toro). The chase is interrupted by an unfortunate detour into the cloak and dagger underworld of the Christmas Adventurers; a society of rich and powerful white men hellbent on racial purification. Lockjaw seeks membership, but the existence of Willa puts his aspirations into jeopardy.  

I'll gladly fall in line with those who declare the Sergio St. Carlos (Del Toro) scenes to be the highlight of the movie. He's one of the less morally compromised adult characters here, a man who has found a way to straddle both lives (domestic and communal) and models an attitude that feels comforting during such chaos; courageous, passionate, and calm with the help of two or three beers. All of the codified group speak is replaced with actions. Less talk more rock. His scenes with Bob (Leo's comedy chops benefit greatly from Del Toro's presence and the contrasts therein) coast along so nicely that it creates a hefty void following his majestic curtain call. I wish there was more with Willa and Deandra (Regina Hall) to cut into it or, better yet, do away with the Christmas Adventurers scenes. She, like St. Carlos is measured in her approach to problem solving, and briefly steps up to the motherly role missing in Willa's life. --I also think it would benefit from a deeper examination of Perfidia's life after selling out. Selling out one's ideals seems tantamount to death, or as she put it, a new consciousness. --- The revelation towards the end, regarding Willa's suddenly shattered identity, speaks to the truth and power of chosen family, and these brief scenes with St. Carlos and Deandra drive that home. 

I'll say this, this movie is so good at times that its over-dependency on caricature, and the clunkers that result felt extra frustrating. Note the tone deaf scene where Bob verbally assaults Willa's friends (inspired by Penn threatening one of his daughter's boyfriends, ofc), the cringey scene where Lockjaw reacts to Willa commenting on his tight shirt (MAGA gay panic), or the entire miscalculated Christmas Adventurers detour (a subplot that hinders the movie. Anyone could have been chasing Willa for that car chase to shine, so why waste time on this bullshit other than to be further "of the moment"). Anderson is capable of greater menace; look no further than Colonel Danvers (James Raterman) who instilled more fear in seconds than any of Lockjaws bafoonery. It's a chilling performance from a character who knows his power and wields it accordingly. He's also capable of better comedy regarding Bobs frustration with modern sensitivities, ie the phone fight with Comrade Josh.

Anderson's movie contains multiple ideologically antithetical subcultures duking it out right beneath us. It has certainly bubbled up here in the real world, and like a lot of drunk/stoned, tired, and disillusioned fathers, our kids are more prepared for the war than us. I appreciate Anderson's self condemnation, the "I can't even braid her hair" scene felt especially poignant and confessional. I've been lucky enough to witness the youth in action, to learn from them despite myself. Anger proves a sustainable source to fuel the revolution, but us dumb lazy adults know that it can also cause petty interpersonal distractions within. Youth isn't wasted on the young, the old just give up too easily. Willa is strong and alert, she saves her own day. Bob, jolted out of his sarcophagus of grief, is a few clicks behind. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending with that lazy white guy needle drop. On one hand, I want to cheer on any artist who encourages us to strive for a freedom from fear. On the other hand, it feels a bit too cute with the "you kids go fix our mess while I smoke on the couch" business. 

*my friend John and others have pointed out that many of the big names involved are making an "of the moment" Oscar contender dripping in bourgeois self importance (note Anderson's silence on ICE during the Golden Globes, whilst under the watchful eye of George Cheeks - a name that belongs in this movie). Though I can't read the minds of anyone involved, I can see why this is a deterrent. Leo's 10% 2018 investment in an eco-friendly hotel near Tel Aviv can certainly draw reasonable accusations of hypocrisy. And yes, the majority of people involved here are indeed rich, nepo babies abound, and consequently cannot understand the struggle that lower/middle class people face every day. I respect any boycott, backlash, etc. but I continue to watch and enjoy films funded by the Hollywood machine, and that includes movies that speak to the current moment. 

*I've also read some very valid opposition regarding the verbiage and treatment of black women in this movie. I'd love to read more of this.