One movie after another*

*or, like a thousand times before, like the castle in its corner, in a medieval game, I foresee terrible trouble, and I stay here just the same

In my movie-viewing this year, I've seen more than 40 movies, spanning 1917 to 2025, that represent first-time watches for me. I'll post the full list of my favorite first watches in early January. But I'm certain that two movies that will reside in my top five are 1982's Missing by Costa-Gavras and this month's One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson.

For me, they're in dialogue with each other. Missing is the best film I've seen thus far this year; the one that resonated with me the most and that was scarier than any of the horror movies that Ashar and I watch. I watched it early in the year, a few weeks after the inauguration, as it became clear that the public roundups, "disappearings" and domestic military deployments promised in 2024 were to become our reality of 2025. Missing's long first act, especially, is gut-wrenching, capturing the visceral terror of a regime that vanishes people simply for what they say, write or believe. Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek absolutely deserved their Oscar nominations.

One Battle After Another is about resisting oppressive regimes, and the immediate and generational consequences of brutal, violent activism carried out by fallible humans confronting monsters.

It's a comedy. 

And a drama. And a thriller. And a satire. There's not really one label for the film, which is par for the course for Anderson. While the obvious comparison within PTA's oeuvre is Inherent Vice, as both are Thomas Pynchon adaptations, sort of, the movie I found One Battle After Another to most be in conversation with is Magnolia. They are both interested in family clashes, especially between generations, and how they are resolved. On what we can and cannot forgive. There are similarities of form, too. One Battle After Another's long, tense middle act in Baktan Cross, and its score by Jonny Greenwood, reminds me of the sprawling "Stanley/Frank/Linda's Breakdown" section of Magnolia scored by Jon Brion (who should have been nominated for an Oscar).

I won't get into more specific details or spoilers of One Battle After Another. I think you should see the film. In a theater. On as big of a screen as possible. Avoid clips and spoilers, if you haven't already seen them. Let the movie unfold and surprise you. Let it marinate afterward.

Then, you might want to check out some thoughtful reviews. Some that I found insightful include Ty Burr in The Washington Post (gift link), Robert Daniels on Substack, Aisha Harris for NPR, and Kristen Lopez for The Film Maven. Seeking out and considering a diversity of views is important with this movie, which, just like its presumptive heroes, shouldn't be considered faultless. 

Finally, a great movie should spur you to seek out other films. PTA himself suggested these films as sharing themes with One Battle After Another:

• Running on Empty (1988, Sidney Lumet; also one of my grandmother's favorites)
• Midnight Run (1988, Martin Brest)
• The French Connection (1971, William Friedkin)
• The Battle of Algiers (1966, Gillo Pontecorvo) 
• The Searchers (1956, John Ford)

And here are some more, based on some great BlueSky user suggestions and my own brainstorming:

• The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973, Ivan Dixon)
• Missing (1982, Costa-Gavras)
• Z (1968, Costa-Gavras)
• Uptight (1968, Jules Dassin)
• El Mar La Mar (2017, Joshua Bonnetta & J.P. Sniadecki)
• Black Panthers (1968, Agnès Varda)
• Black Wax (1983, Robert Mugge)
• The Golden Dream (2013, Diego Quemada-Díez)

Hours after watching One Battle After Another, this headline popped up on my phone. We are living in one hell of a moment.