I had zero interest in watching Paul Thomas Anderson‘s film One Battle After Another when it was in theatres in 2025. Then I saw Film Comment’s Best of 2025 piece, read Abby Sun‘s impressions, and then became curious by what she means by “mechanics of loyalty.” It came out on home video a week ago. I’m glad I waited to get the DVD so there’d be subtitles — the humour comes across more for me when I can read what’s being said while it’s being said. I went back to Abby’s succinct paragraph, and I couldn’t agree more with her assertion that the “film’s paranoia-driven, pulsating action sequences illustrate not ideology but rather the infrastructure of allegiance—the signals, lingo, plans, and solidarity that sustain any embattled collective.”
After reading J. Hoberman‘s review for Film Comment, I can say that there’s not much more to add. Benicio Del Toro is probably my favorite part of the movie…and his scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio. I might start internalizing the phrase “breathe, ocean waves, ocean waves” when something happens that requires me to act immediately without panicking. The scene in the trailer where Leonardo is trying to remember the answer to a question about time occurs about an hour into the film. It is an absurdly funny scene that made me laugh in a way that I doubt I would have really appreciated had I seen it at the theatre.
Pic creds: IMDB
Sitting Pugs: Sports Movies 