The fundamental basis of negative criticism directed at Wes Anderson can be summed up in the maxim, “familiarity breeds contempt.” Or as Mark Browning would have it, “the only movies Wes Anderson films look like are other Wes Anderson Films” (Kunze, 1). The director’s dogged adherence to the same box of cinematic tricks – obsessive
technical precision, symmetrical composition, vivid colour palettes, elaborate planimetric tracking shots, and a recurring stable of actors – has provoked a strongly-held belief that the director is retreading the same well-worn ground with every new film. But “Anderson is a filmmaker whose work you either ‘get’ or you don’t. Some express an honest bafflement at the films, some misinterpret them severely, and some greet them with outright hostility” (Jones, “A Family Romance,” 19-20). The genius of Anderson’s storytelling ability is that it does not rely on technical proficiency. Anderson’s obsessive compulsion with framing, shot compositions and meticulously symmetrical images can often obscure what is right in front of the viewer. The allure of his precisely-constructed images can occasionally disguise the emotional heart and maturity at the centre of every film.
His representations of loss and grief are universal traumas identifiable to all, but his compassion for each tortured, traumatised character is often apparent only through familiarity. However, just because it is hard to spot doesn’t mean it’s not there. It just takes a bit more effort to see it. Each text demonstrates “a desire to reengage with innocence to get back to enthusiasm ” (MacDowell, “The Andersonian, The Quirky, and ‘Innocence,’” 162). In Anderson’s world there are no losers. Bad deeds are atoned for and experience leads to redemption. In contrast with his “smart” film associates, Anderson does not mock or hold something up for ridicule. The beginning of his twenty-year career marks the end of the ironic disengagement and moral turpitude of Generation X.
Anderson’s own reaction to unfavourable assessments and over-analysis of his films is characteristically prudent. “How much good can come from putting any time into studying how people are responding to your movies? The best-case scenario is that it makes you feel flattered for a certain period of time, which doesn’t really buy you much in life; and inevitably, it’s not going to just be the best-case scenario, so learn to spare yourself that experience” (Zoller Seitz, The Wes Anderson Collection, 323). Anderson has yet to confirm what his next project will be, but at the time of writing there is some speculation that the director will return to the stop-motion animation of Fantastic Mr. Fox (2010) for an adaption of Vittorio de Sica’s The Gold of Naples (1954). But whatever Anderson chooses to do next, it will undoubtedly be an immaculately visual piece involving the redemption of broken characters through unconventional means. And I will probably have to watch it twice.
Bibliography
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Filmography
Bottle Rocket. Dir. Wes Anderson. Columbia Pictures: The Criterion Collection, 1996. DVD.
Darjeeling Limited, The. Dir. Wes Anderson. Fox Searchlight Pictures: The Criterion Collection, 2007. DVD
Fantastic Mr. Fox. Dir. Wes Anderson. 20th Century Fox, 2009. DVD.
Grand Budapest Hotel, The. Dir. Wes Anderson. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2014. DVD.
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The. Dir. Wes Anderson. Buena Vista Pictures: The Criterion Collection, 2004. DVD.
Moonrise Kingdom. Dir. Wes Anderson. Focus Features, 2012. DVD.
Royal Tenenbaums, The. Dir. Wes Anderson. Buena Vista Pictures: The Criterion Collection, 2001. DVD.
Rushmore. Dir. Wes Anderson. Buena Vista Pictures: The Criterion Collection, 1998. DVD.
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