Yesterday, we went to see the new cinematographic gem by the great North American director Wes Anderson. The French Dispatch (The French Dispatch of the Liberty Kansas Evening Sun) is a delight for the senses in which, as expected, his admirable and recognizable retro-look characterized by his colours, his flawless symmetry and his thpusand and one details, as well as his stories and characters have won us over once again.

Wes Anderson at his best

The creative and narrative display in The French Dispatch is superb.  An eclosion of elated creativity, that we can already tell you we will be enjoying again, because this film is worth savouring several times to be able to enjoy all its nuances.

“In the French Dispatch, artistic resources are multiplied, and together with the soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat, photography by Robert D. Yeoman, and the presence of a spectacular cast, they make this an exquisite film.”

Four stories starring a line-up of amazing actors

The French Dispatch is a roundup of stories that involve a wide-reaching American magazine, the head office of which is in the French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé, its journalists and the protagonists of these tragicomic stories full of really interesting reflections.

“Four fun stories full of adventures, romance, crime and morals with the unmistakable stamp of the ingenious Wes Anderson.”

Following the death of the Kansas born editor, Arthur Howitzer, Jr., the staff at The French Dispatch meet up to write his obituary. Memories of Howitzer flow in these four stories, each one as bizzare and captivating as the next:  from “The Cycling Reporter”, a diary of the trips around the most sordid areas of the Cycling reporter’s own city, “The Concrete Masterpiece” by Berenson, that uncovers the art dealer Julian Cadazio; “Revisions to a Manifesto”by Krementz, a story told first-hand of the grievances and passions, both political and sexual, that push the young people of Ennui to go to war; and “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner” by Roebuck-Wright.

Some of these are played by the fantastic Benicio del Toro, who plays Moses Rosenthaler, a crazy and criminal artist who is in prison, and who is discovered by an art dealer, Julian Cadazio (Adrien Brody), who speculates with his works to the very end. Joining them is Moses’ muse, one of the guards there played by the unbeatable Léa Seydoux; another of the stories stars Timothée Chalamet aka Zeffirelli the dreamer who becomes one of Krementz’s heroes, accompanied by the charismatic Frances McDormand, who is as delicious as usual; and the last of these four stories tells the adventures and misadventures of Nescaffier, the legendary chef, at the service of the commissaire of Ennui-sur-Blasé (Mathieu Amalric), whose son (Winsen Ait Hellal) is kidnapped by a group of thugs led by Edward Norton, that threatens to kill him unless the local crime syndicates arrest the accountant (Willem Dafoe) who has just left prison…

Additionally, it stars other magnificent actors, friends of the directors whose presence has become customary in all his films such as Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Elisabeth Moss, Christoph Waltz and  Jason Schwartzman, among others.

A movie gem full of tributes and references

When you take on The French Dispatch you will barely be able to blink. There are so many details and so many audiovisual fireworks that you may even feel overwhelmed. You can tell Wes is delighted, because he has managed to create an intricate movie filigree where everything, absolutely everything, counts and captivates the viewer. From cultural references such as the most obvious one: the New Yorker magazine which he also collects; the editing itself; the original soundtrack, which was composed by the French Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, and also includes songs performed or created by Grace Jones, Jarvis Cocker, Charles Aznavour or Ennio Morricone among others; the dialogues packed with brilliant phrases to be remembered; his symmetrical shots full of beauty, meaning and again, a number of quirks; the frenetic pace of the film, where multiple situations take place one after the other and everything changes from one second to the next; to the animation scenes, a novel disruptive element in his filmography that provides rhythm and oozes excellence.

“The French Dispatch is a love letter to journalists and a gift from Wes to the world.”

In cinemas near you.