ASTEROID CITY
A romance under UFOs with Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City
It only took Wes Anderson two years to return In Competition after The French Dispatch, his mosaic of French stories in the 20th century. The filmmaker with his own distinctive style goes back in time as he paints the portrait of a 1950s town and its inhabitants in Asteroid City.
In the middle of the desert in the Southwest United States lies Asteroid City. This tiny town, characterized by its meteor crater and is astronomical observatory, is preparing to play host to the Junior Stargazer convention this weekend in 1955. Soldiers, scientists and parents from around the country come together to discover the spectacular inventions of gifted students. When Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) meets the actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), extra-terrestrials crash the party…
Symmetrical shots, pastel photography and minimalist performances from the actors, the Texan director’s touch can be felt from the first shots of Asteroid City. After the world of scouts, luxury hotels and journalism, Wes Anderson has turned his attention to UFOs in this science-fiction work presented as a love story. This film with its retro aesthetic is accompanied by the music of the multi-award-winning Alexandre Desplat, who has collaborated with Anderson since Fantastic Mr. Fox. (2009).
As is his custom, the director has surrounded himself with some of film’s biggest names. Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson star as the two lovers, alongside Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Brian Cranston, Adrien Brody, Margot Robbie and Steve Carell. The dizzying cast goes along with a story from Roman Coppola, the writer off Moonrise Kingdom, the film that opened the 65th Festival de Cannes in 2012.
