The story revolves around Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda<\/em> (exquisitely performed by Benicio del Toro<\/em>), a European tycoon in the 1950s who has survived six assassination attempts and is determined to complete an ambitious infrastructure project: the “Phoenician Land and Sea Scheme”<\/em>. To achieve it, he must close a staggering financial gap \u2014“everything we\u2019ve got\u2026 plus a little more”<\/em>\u2014 while reconnecting with his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton)<\/em>, a novice nun he hasn\u2019t seen in six years.<\/p>\n What begins as an industrial and financial odyssey becomes a spiritual, emotional and aesthetic journey, in which father and daughter traverse a fictional map evoking the Balkans, the Middle East, and any liminal territory between power, commerce and collapse.<\/p>\n Anderson<\/em> has said he had Benicio del Toro<\/em> in mind from the beginning. The Puerto Rican actor owns the character with a hypnotic blend of sophistication, sarcasm and melancholy. Zsa-zsa<\/em> is like Charles Foster Kane<\/em> rewritten by Italo Calvino<\/em>: excessive, inscrutable, refined and brutal, collecting art, encyclopaedias, hand grenades and enemies with equal fervour.<\/p>\n His performance anchors the film like a gravitational axis. Del Toro<\/em> never leaves the frame, and his interaction with each character reveals layers of irony, repressed affection, paranoia and even redemption. Rarely has an Andersonian<\/em> character felt so three-dimensional.<\/p>\n Threapleton<\/em>, in her first leading role, dazzles with restrained nuance.<\/p>\n Her Liesl<\/em> is both victim and judge of her father, channelling an ambiguous, pragmatic spirituality shaped by doubt and compassion. She creates a memorable character who forms the emotional backbone of the film.<\/p>\n Cera<\/em>, meanwhile, plays brightly\u00a0Bjorn<\/em>, a “Norwegian tutor and insect expert”, who is Liesl<\/em>\u2019s loyal companion. His portrayal brings lightness and a blend of physical and verbal humour reminiscent of Peter Sellers<\/em>. His accent, gestures and tenderness strike a delicate balance between the absurd and the endearing.<\/p>\n Co-written with Roman Coppola<\/em>, the narrative unfolds like a corporate road movie interwoven with international conspiracies, family betrayals and colonial echoes. Korda<\/em> and Liesl<\/em> travel through a fictional region that might be a distorted echo of Lebanon, Yugoslavia and the Caucasus, seeking allies, investors and redemption.<\/p>\n Each stop is a world unto itself: from a jazz club in Marseille overtaken by anarchists (led by Sergio<\/em>, the humanist revolutionary) to a desert utopia run by an eccentric cousin. The story expands without losing coherence: collisions between the macro and the intimate, the sacred and the speculative, legacy and imposture.<\/p>\n The film is dense but fluid. Its episodic structure allows Anderson<\/em> to unleash his full arsenal of dioramas, models, symmetrical choreography, overlaid text, and analogue effects. Every sequence is a showcase of visual invention.<\/p>\n Shot mostly at the legendary Babelsberg Studios<\/em>, “The Phoenician Scheme”<\/em>\u00a0is a love letter to handcrafted set design. Adam Stockhausen<\/em> outdoes himself with palatial interiors, subterranean offices, cardboard deserts and a colossal dam that bursts in a climactic miniature sequence.<\/p>\n Bruno Delbonnel<\/em>\u2019s cinematography brings a darker palette than previous Anderson<\/em> films, perfect for a narrative about power, death and faith. The lighting is dramatic, almost expressionist, without abandoning Anderson<\/em>\u2019s signature colourism.<\/p>\n Milena Canonero<\/em>\u2019s costume design weaves references from Byzantine to industrial modernism, with ecclesiastical touches. Every outfit tells a story.<\/p>\n The film is steeped in references, homages and resonances. Orson Welles<\/em> and Luis Bu\u00f1uel<\/em> are ghostly presences. The protagonist echoes Kane<\/em>, but also\u00a0Mr. Arkadin<\/em>. Dreamlike sequences with angels and celestial trials recall “The Milky Way<\/em>or\u00a0The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie”<\/em>. The Catholic elements are both parodic and reverent.<\/p>\n Alexandre Desplat<\/em>\u2019s music, with nods to Stravinsky, Glenn Miller<\/em> and Gene Krupa<\/em>, drives the rhythm with symphonic-jazz propulsion. It\u2019s the most complex and enveloping score in the Anderson<\/em> canon.<\/p>\n At its core, “The Phoenician Scheme”<\/em> is the story of a father who, faced with imminent death, tries to leave more than capital behind. He tries to leave a connection. Anderson<\/em> explores the limits of success, regret and belated love.\u00a0He does so in his signature style\u2014 theatrical, miniature, playful\u2014 but with a newfound maturity that resonates.<\/p>\n We don’t want to reveal anything else to you, only that there\u2019s no moral, but there is redemption.<\/p>\n “The Phoenician Scheme”<\/em>\u00a0is an overflowing, exuberant, sardonic and tender film. A political satire unafraid of surrealism or melodrama. A stylistic exercise that dares to speak of what matters: family, guilt, forgiveness.<\/p>\n Benicio del Toro<\/em> builds a mythical character. Mia Threapleton<\/em> heralds a fascinating career. And Anderson<\/em>, without abandoning his codes, ensures that every frame is a funhouse mirror reflecting our times. The result is a cinematic feast \u2013 an eccentric, essential masterpiece.<\/p>\n Highly recommended.<\/p>\n *We went to see it at Cine Yelmo Luxury Palafox (Madrid) in the original version with subtitles, as the visual and sound experience is truly impressive \u2014 and it’s incredibly comfortable, which is something you really appreciate in a feature film like this one.<\/em><\/p>\n (*) <\/strong>Photos: Courtesy of TPS Productions\/Focus Features \u00a9 2025 All Rights Reserved. Copyright \u00a9 2025 Date Added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda’s story The story revolves around Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda (exquisitely performed by Benicio del Toro), a European tycoon in the 1950s who has survived six assassination attempts and is determined to complete an ambitious infrastructure project: the “Phoenician Land and Sea Scheme”. To achieve it, he must close a staggering financial gap \u2014“everything […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":88075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5904,5903],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cinema","category-culture-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cThe story revolves around Anatole ‘Zsa-zsa’ Korda, a European tycoon in the 1950s who has survived six assassination attempts.\u201d<\/h2>\n
A character for the ages: Zsa-zsa Korda<\/h6>\n
Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera: Perfect foils<\/h6>\n
A Screenplay as geopolitical puzzle<\/h6>\n
Art Direction: Controlled baroque<\/h6>\n
References, music and metafiction<\/h6>\n
\u201cThe film is steeped in references, homages and resonances.\u201d<\/h2>\n
A fable on power, guilt and legacy<\/h6>\n
\u201cAnderson explores the limits of success, regret and belated love.\u201d<\/h2>\n
Conclusion: One of Wes Anderson\u2019s great works<\/h6>\n