Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts.

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One Battle After Another feels like it was made for this moment in history. To reflect it, to critique it, but not to give us any firmly defined conclusion on what we should think or how we should respond. Anderson clearly presents that political violence, dehumanised immigration policies, and Christian nationalism bring horror into our world. But because every character participates in at least one of those activities, it means that even the protagonist isn’t some knight in shining armour. They are tainted, in a sort of broken humanity which perfectly reflects this particular cultural moment. 

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That’s not to say that One Battle After Another doesn’t have narrative touchpoints throughout that would speak beyond this moment. What it has to say about the cost of political violence and the struggle of the oppressed is pretty universal. 

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In a lot of ways because One Battle After Another isn’t particularly obvious and has competing thematic and at times stylistic flourishes, it could be a challenge to fully connect with the story and what Anderson is truly trying to say. But this just adds to the depth of the work here, it will take multiple viewings and days of musing on the material to soak up everything it contains. 

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But at its heart, which is truly accessible, is the pacing of the film that plays like a political action thriller, stacked with impressive action sequences - a 9 month pregnant revolutionary fiercely firing a machine gun has to be one of the most striking images in cinema this year. And the car chase that plays out in the final act is as incredibly grounded and real as it is completely thrilling. There are also moments of hilarity here and some of the narrative turns (no spoilers) are just utterly bonkers but brilliant all the same. 

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Leonardo DiCaprio is outstanding - bold yet broken with a level of vulnerability that will win you over, it is a tour de force performance. Chase Infiniti in her big screen debut is transcendent - she is definitely one to watch. Sean Penn manages to steer his character away from caricature and bring a hilarious but harrowing character to life. 

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Visceral, bonkers, and hilarious in equal measure with a depth like few films out there, One Battle After Another is a film that resonates with the time we live in like no other with a tour de force performance from DiCaprio.