Watch my immediate reactions here! ^^

A visual experience of an American Journal written about the fictional city of Ennui-sur-Blasé, France. A tribute to art, cinematic craft, and the ex-pat experience. 

The French Dispatch is hands-down Wes Anderson's best film to date, and I’d go even further to say that it’s the best film of 2021.

Here’s why.

Part One of a one-part series of thoughts, otherwise known as a review, or more specifically a rapidly written critique of a film, typed on a laptop in the dead of night, single lamp light source, one beer, a bag of chips, crumbs littered on a keyboard, a critic begins.

The French Dispatch is about the final issue of a magazine called French Dispatch, written by foreigners who reside in the fictional French town known as Ennui-sur-Blasé, focusing on three specific articles. Think: a film about a quirky New Yorker story, but French. Each story supports a different cast of characters with the exception of the editor, played by Bill Murray.

My reviews are spoiler-free, so I won’t break down each story. But I want to talk about the themes in each.

The first story is about an artist being wholly dependent on a muse and the insanity of the art industry profiting from artists and their art.

The second is about aging and living vicariously through others, specifically the youth. And the feeling of being able to make a lasting impact as a youth. 

The third is about being an outsider, whether by nationality, sexuality, or race, with a spattering of culinary arts and a dash of forgotten heroes.

Together, these narratives combine to showcase the creative process and the journalist’s life, as a people who choose to seek out and capture stories for others to experience. I really came to enjoy this format of three distinct voices and creators all funneling into one major feeling and theme of creativity.

Now for the score. This is bar none Anderson’s best score, supplied by longtime collaborator Alexandre Desplat. This work is a masterclass of simplicity. The melodies and themes effortlessly mix and mingle into every single frame, whether it’s a flick of a string or the delicate anxiety-inducing percussion during high-stakes sequences.

It. Is. Marvelous. I’ve been listening to the score on repeat for weeks, and without a doubt, IT IS THE SCORE OF THE YEAR.

Let’s talk visuals. Oh. My. God. The visual language is titanic, namely the use of color, black and white — and contrasting and intercutting between them — 35mm film usage, the blocking, the camera movements, the use of various aspect ratios even within scenes… 

And the EDITING. The editing on display is blistering and punctual. I have never seen such a tightly edited film in my life.

The combination of the cinematography and the editing are so sublime and so intensely beautiful that they alone push this film into a caliber of cinema that I rarely see. Robert Yeoman (Cinematographer) and Andrew Weisblum (Editor) deserve accolades and praise like no other this year. It is truly fantastic work.  

And of course, the performances are exactly what’s needed, a mixture of snappy precise dialogue delivery and quirky character moments. And the set and costume designs are flawless executions of craft.

So, in ending:

10/10 - Masterpiece

The French Dispatch is Wes Anderson firing on all cylinders, crafting a collage of beauty and whimsical delight with a touching and heartfelt tribute to journalists. It features the best score of the year and truly staggering work from all the technical fields, especially cinematography, editing, costume, and set and production design.