"Asteroid City": Wes Anderson Lost in His Style Spoilers

Wes Anderson gained fame with the release of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" in 2014. Prior to this, he was hailed by the youth as the creator of the "Wes Anderson Aesthetic." His distinct artistic style, characterized by meticulous retro world-building, highly saturated colors, symmetrical compositions, dry humor, and mechanical tones, garnered a lot of attention.

With "The Grand Budapest Hotel," his strong personal signature reached its zenith, elevating him from a niche director to an award-winning filmmaker who balances both commercial and artistic aspects. However, in recent years, his films "The French Dispatch" and "Asteroid City," despite premiering at Cannes, have received lukewarm responses from both critics and reviewers.

Even his previous film "Isle of Dogs" was much beloved by audiences. So why has Wes Anderson's reputation suffered such a decline?Let's explore through "Asteroid City."

Exquisite Dramatic Structure Still Remains

"Asteroid City" opens with a black-and-white television program setting, where the host emphasizes that this is a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the play "Asteroid City." The camera then shifts to the playwright engrossed in creating the play, introducing the characters and scenes of the play. As the play begins, the visuals shift from black and white to color, immersing the audience in the world of "Asteroid City."

Throughout the film, there's a back-and-forth between different aspect ratios, color (fictional) and black-and-white (real), dividing the narrative into distinct layers. This continuously reminds the audience of the film's metafictional intent and emphasizes the fictitious nature of "Asteroid City."

As Anderson has done in the past, the film is divided into multiple chapters. This time, the film is structured as a play with three acts and numerous scenes, presenting the script's content. The characters' relationships and the behind-the-scenes conflicts among the playwright, director, and actors are also portrayed.

The film not only contains a play within the film but also explores the interplay between the play's world and the real world. The intertwining of reality and fiction becomes a central theme of "Asteroid City." The boundary between stage and backstage blurs, making it difficult to discern whether the characters are following the script or revealing their true selves.

The film's artistic set design appears intentionally artificial, giving a sense of surreal enchantment. The backstage of the play connects seamlessly with the play itself. The candy-colored desert town can transition instantaneously to black-and-white New York.

In the play, characters sometimes appear on stage ahead of schedule, only to be noticed by other characters and awkwardly leave. The protagonist, Augie, can even step out of the play and question the director about the intended meaning of a scene. The actor playing the alien describes it as a metaphor for our lives. A deleted line by an actress is eventually spoken in a different context. And at the end, all characters repeat the phrase "To wake up, one must first go to sleep..."

Perhaps Wes Anderson's intention is to hypnotize the audience with rough, inexpensive set design and a monotonous tone, helping them navigate the relationship between drama and reality.

Continued "Wes-Style Philosophy"

Wes Anderson once admitted that every character in his films has a real-world reference, and the film's concepts and imagination stem from his personal philosophy and life background.

"Asteroid City" has been described as Wes Anderson's "poetic contemplation of the meaning of life." Despite the comedic tone, Anderson's films often contain tragic elements. Movies like "The French Dispatch" and "The Darjeeling Limited" open with "death" as a recurring theme. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" also features "death" as a pivotal plot element.

Unlike didactic critiques or overly emotional outpourings, he skillfully controls the emotional intensity of characters, presenting weighty themes with a light touch and humor.

"Asteroid City" follows suit, presenting characters seeking solace in each other amidst the absurd backdrop of an alien invasion. The genius children who aren't accepted by regular peers come together to play games. The parents of these children collectively express the challenges of parenting. The main character,Augie, who has lost his wife, forms a new connection with Midge, who suffers from domestic abuse. While the characters seem to suffer during their time in "Asteroid City," they also find new beginnings.

Even though the alien visitation is dream-like, eventually everyone returns to their normal lives. However, the experiences they went through during this period help to heal their emotional wounds to some extent. The seemingly meaningless ordeal in "Asteroid City" paradoxically offers emotional liberation.

While the film is absurd and fantastical, with whimsical ideas and an array of A-list stars parading through, we never get a glimpse of living characters. Instead, we only see character designs and formulaic themes. We can't empathize with the characters' feelings, understand their secrets and desires, and many questions are left unanswered. Even Wes Anderson himself, through his characters, avoids giving definitive answers.

They mostly serve as tools for the director, assisting in constructing the dream. The numerous cryptic dialogues make it seem like everything is said, yet nothing is said. The film sacrifices emotional resonance with the audience in favor of "form," leaving behind only art design.

As someone who used to admire Wes Anderson's work, if he perpetually adheres to a single style, he might end up lost in the labyrinth he constructed, disconnected from the audience. Currently, my fondness for Wes Anderson's films may have halted at "Isle of Dogs," as the absence of freshness makes way for aesthetic fatigue.

Replicable Influencer Attributes

In recent years, with the rise of AI-generated images on mobile applications, the "Wes Anderson Aesthetic" has fallen into a state of high repetition, becoming an awkward situation where anyone can imitate it. It has even become a recognizable "internet-famous" style, known even to those who don't watch movies.

From overseas to domestic platforms like Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook, creators have universally adopted symmetrical compositions, high-saturation colors, and quirky performance styles paired with retro and detached music. This combination has led to the creation of numerous short videos that have gained immense popularity.

The cinematographer of "Isle of Dogs," Tristan Oliver, once stated that "imitating Wes is quite simple." He believed that many TV commercials are shot this way and are often rushed and superficial.

In short, this style tends to lean towards lazy commercial tactics, and Wes Anderson has paid a price for this. "His distinctive traits and aesthetic perspectives are so alluring that he has even become a victim of them." This repetition can be understood as a lack of progress in his visual style over the past decade, causing his films to appear increasingly similar and falling into a state of "self-replication." When the meticulously crafted artistic style overshadows content and emotions, it hinders the conveyance of emotions in his films.

Especially in recent years, Wes Anderson himself has become too absorbed in this style, even saturating every corner with the "Wes Anderson Aesthetic" and pushing it to the extreme.

What's worse is that, in an effort to emphasize "form," films like "Asteroid City," which possess relatively complex narrative structures, sacrifice emotional resonance with the audience. The result is hollow emotions, leaving only art design in his films.

As someone who once admired Wes Anderson's work, if he continues to only use the "same" style in his films, he might eventually become lost in the maze he has constructed, completely disconnected from the audience.

At present, my fondness for Wes Anderson's films might have halted at "Isle of Dogs," as the absence of novelty leaves only aesthetic fatigue.