The French Dispatch (2021)

Wes Anderson's (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Grand Budapest Hotel) new film is about an American newspaper outpost located in a fictional French city. It tells several different stories with topics ranging from the food portion of the paper to the politics section. Each story is a self-contained narrative with colorful cast members such as Benicio Del Toro and Timothy Chalamet. Fans of Anderson expect a great cast and the French Dispatch may be his finest ensemble yet. I enjoyed each portion of the film thoroughly. Though my particular favorite was from the arts section of the French Dispatch. Featuring a suicidal artist (Del Toro) who art connoisseurs decide is the greatest artistic mind of his generation. Painting from inside of a prison, the art community goes to great lengths to provide him with the necessary tools to keep him painting. The painter, Moses', only real inspiration is the prison guard Simone (Seydoux). Who after several nude painting sessions strikes up a love affair with Moses. I'll stop there. Through each of the different paper sections we notice a common motive in each of the central characters - which is of course, the many complexities of love itself.

---