Asteroid City review

Wes Anderson’s much anticipated film of the summer; ‘Asteroid City’ is a surprisingly short and sweet story that explores a myriad of stories within a small fictional town. Anderson shows a story within a story; similar to some of his previous work like The French Dispatch however with a more to-the-point plot this time. Asteroid City is a play, narrated comedically by Bryan Cranston, and written by Conrad Earp (Edward Norton). The film dances around Anderson’s classic subjects: the human condition, the delicacy of childhood, death, grief all amongst quirky one liners, an all-star cast and the occasional breaking of the fourth wall. Ultimately this is not something new from Wes Anderson however a new blindingly bright colour pallete, reminiscent of William Eggleston’s photography, that we have not seen in Anderson’s 50/60s pale, pastel colour palletes which adds a new element to the ‘Anderson aesthetic’. The story revolves around a group of scientifically gifted kids and their parents who carry their fair share of issues which are divulged throughput the film. Once again, we are reminded that both the kids and adults are in fact, not alright but a life altering event, perhaps mirroring recent events like covid, brings them together whilst simultaneously driving them insane. By the end of the film, most of the characters have ultimately gone their separate ways and the small town remains ultimately almost the same as when they arrived but they have all lived through this shared experience that shows the best and the worst of humanity.