Academy Award-nominated director Paul Thomas Anderson’s blockbuster “One Battle After Another” hit theaters on Sept. 26.
The film takes place in the western part of the United States, using the issue of immigration as a catalyst throughout. The film takes audiences into the life of Bob Ferguson (Leonardo Dicaprio) and his daughter Willa, who are living in hiding after Bob’s time as a border abolitionist revolutionary.
The movie opens with a captivating, action-packed sequence showing Bob and his romantic partner, Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), carrying out rebellious missions. These operations eventually catch up with them when military colonel, enemy of the resistance, white supremacist and Perfidia’s affair partner, Lockjaw (Sean Penn) arrests her.
Perfidia’s arrest leads to Bob having to take their newborn daughter on the run. The chaotic start is followed by a 16-year time skip. Here, we are introduced to a teenage Willa, played by Chase Infiniti in her acting debut.
“I can’t undersell how terrific she is. I’ve had this overwhelming feeling lately. In the past week, I’ve had to remember how I got here, and I’ve genuinely come to the conclusion that what’s taken so long is that I was waiting to meet Chase Infiniti.” Anderson said in an interview with Dazed.
“I put so much pressure on finding the right actor because of who I live with, and what I’m surrounded with. Finding her was one of the lucky breaks I’ve had in the movie business.” Anderson, Maya Rudolph’s husband, continued.
Lockjaw fears that his potential parenthood of Willa could lead to the prevention of his entry into a secret white supremacist organization. This conflict leads him to kidnap Willa and attempt to track Bob down.
The second act follows Bob in his attempts to save his daughter. DiCaprio’s portrayal as a desperate, washed-up rebel, accompanied by a gentle yet hectic score, exhausts the audience while still keeping them engaged.
DiCaprio’s performance was outstanding, yet it did not feel out of place. A story with many moving parts was able to anchor itself with noteworthy performances from the ensemble cast.
Penn plays the role of Lockjaw in an impressively pathetic way, which left the audience humored by his demeanor. Benicio Del Toro’s Sergio and Regina Hall’s Deandra also played integral roles; the seasoned actors were able to make lasting impressions with limited screen time.
The film can feel convoluted at times. This can be attributed to Anderson taking 20 years to write this script and combining three different movie ideas before ending up with the final script. One of the ideas was an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland.” The film still gives “inspired by” credits to the book.
Despite its elaborate plot, “One Battle After Another” manages to stick the landing, leaving audiences feeling rewarded and hopeful. During a star-studded year for movies, Anderson’s daring take on family and trust still commands the attention of film lovers everywhere.
