In the febrile political atmosphere that has taken hold across pretty much all the Western world, political tensions have recently given way to political violence. Into this arena comes Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is now stirring this simmering pot. The movie begins with a raid on an ICE facility, has several scenes that deal with immigration issues, features government agents killing people, and infiltrating protests to start trouble.
The film follows a burned-out revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) who tries to save his daughter (Chase Infiniti) from a white nationalist military officer (Sean Penn), and now it has started to attract comment in some circles for “glamorizing left-wing violence that could potentially inspire real-world violence.”
Those mentioned in the article include David Marcus at Fox News who called the film an “ill-timed apologia for left-wing violence”, film critic Armond White, who said it is “the year’s most irresponsible movie”, and Ben Shapiro, who called it “an apologia for radical left-wing terrorism” in a video review.
None of these things will harm the critical buzz around the movie, and will probably simply add to its mystique as awards season draws closer. One Battle After Another is the clear favorite for the Best Picture Oscar come January.
The movie is in theaters now, and will be streaming in time for Christmas.
