The Writings of John Ryan Sullivan

If you’ve read much of anything I’ve posted you know I fixate/focus on filmmaking a good deal. Over the past twenty years I’ve delved into the differences between digital and analog filmmaking. I think I’ve learned a great deal doing so and I also think I’ve come to the conclusion that this issue is one of the least interesting things about movies and television (now at least – twenty years ago there were arguments to be made).

Which is why I am writing today about One Battle After Another. If, like me, you have been bombarded with advertising regarding this film for the past eight months – I am sorry. For two months I held off writing about this film as I have not wanted to add to the constant noise surrounding it. Given that the Academy Awards took place this past weekend and that the film was celebrated to such a degree I have decided there is little point in continuing to wait.

So here we are. I started this post by mentioning the film versus digital debate because (as I am sure you already know) One Battle After Another was shot on film. And not just any kind of film, no it was shot on VistaVision. I mention this because this aspect of the movie was touted and pushed to such a degree I imagine very few people are unaware of the fact.

Now I am all for finding a hook or a selling point to get people to see a movie or read a book. Many of us are clueless about what to watch next and having an enticement is helpful. This is why I love film trailers so much. That being said making the capture format the enticement is a weird move.

Which is part of why my first viewing of One Battle After Another was dismal. To say I disliked the movie on my first watch would be an understatement. I sat down the day after and wrote a long post to share with the world about all of the shortcomings of the movie.

Yet.

Despite venting my spleen my mind fixated on the film. Despite being certain my take on the movie was correct (in part I felt the first forty minutes could be cut without impacting the story) I could not stop thinking about it.

Which led to me watching the film again, five days later. To my surprise – I loved it. I know this was long-winded (it’s what I do, really) but to go from thinking the film was terrible to terrific has only happened to me once in recent memory. To say that this humbled me is an understatement. To be so certain of my experience and then have it reversed so quickly and absolutely is changing my approach to saying ANYTHING about art.

I’ve always known how much my mood, or the other people in the theater or even the weather can affect my attitude toward a movie. Now it is apparent I need to give myself a bit more time and things I dislike perhaps a bit more of a chance.

I mentioned there was one other time recently where I had an experience like this. That time I posted my thoughts and when thinking about writing this piece I revisited what I wrote.

This was my first take of Arrival – https://medium.com/@johnryansullivan25/did-i-watch-the-same-film-as-everyone-else-arrival-ebf036479316

What’s interesting about my first impressions of Arrival is that although I love the film now I do not disagree with the points I made against the film. If, like me, you came to Arrival as a father of young children and watched the movie from Jeremy Renner’s point of view what I wrote has merit. Only that is one point of view and I’ve come to see it is the wrong one.

So what was the deal with One Battle After Another?

First and foremost: everyone and their mother (is the issue) since There Will Be Blood. There was a time (before that film) when Paul Thomas Anderson and I were in cahoots. Prior to There Will Be Blood I enjoyed his films, I enjoyed his sensibilities and I enjoyed not knowing what I was walking into when a new PTA movie was released.

He is, for me, the definition of a filmmaker. There’s no set formula, no simplified plot so you can use your phone and still follow the story, and as far as I can tell no rehashing of the same idea over and over. I think he’s a fantastic artist and I love that he makes movies.

What I don’t love is the bizarre fanbase that sprouted after There Will Be Blood came out. Perhaps it isn’t specific to Mr. Anderson, perhaps it was the time and the way the Internet changed. All I know is from that point on I’ve not watched any of his films when they are released. Several, like Phantom Thread, I still haven’t watched simply because I know the experience will be tainted by the hoopla of fans and critics and my inability to experience the film for what it is.

Knowing all of this I went into One Battle After Another earlier than I should have. I did it because the past year has been dismal for watching films. I did it because I wanted to see something interesting and different that made me think. I did it because he’s an amazing filmmaker. The promotional material I saw before watching gave little of the plot, pushed that the film was shot on VistaVision and built up the supporting cast.

All of which is strange. There is a story being told, however strangely, and I feel some sense of it could have come from the trailer (my understanding is he sometimes makes these himself which is why they are unconventional). Whatever the reason the trailer doesn’t give me a sense of the plot and the synopsis even less so – “When their enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.”

This synopsis makes it sound like most of the movie is the rescue mission, which it isn’t, and downplays Leonard DiCaprio’s central role. I digress. I went into this film knowing little, expecting much and what I encountered differed greatly from what I had thought I’d find. Which led to disappointment and bad feelings.

Reflecting on the film and then finally rewatching it allowed me to shake all of this off and see it for what it is. When I came to the conclusion that the film should be approached like The Big Lebowski everything fell into place. By that I mean, it’s not that serious (although it is serious) and a great deal is meant to be funny, or sad, or pitiful.

It’s a strangely large film given that the events in it don’t feel that way. Things happen but the dimensions are out of wack, like seeing your reflection in a funhouse mirror. Big things are treated lightly and small things are blown out of proportion.

There are scenes that feel strange and possibly out of place, that I think if this were a more commercial film would have been cut (the parent/teacher conference comes to mind). The ‘relationship’ between Perfidia Beverly Hills and Steven J. Lockjaw is…odd. Or not, that could just be me. Whereas on my first viewing I felt the movie didn’t really start until the forty minute mark, now I’ve come to appreciate all that happens before.

It’s a strangely beautiful film and I know in part that is due to how it is captured. Which is a testament to the filmmakers and their skills rather than an endorsement for a film format (I’m not trying to start a fight – artists should have the right to use the tools they want to use). Promoting The Creator because it was made with a Sony FX3 is a similar, I think, wrongheaded approach.

It seems to me how movies and television shows are marketed has changed. I am continually amazed that when Steven Spielberg has a new film his name is not used to promote the work (often now they write, from the director of…). People should know the names of great directors and their new films should be of interest because of who is making the movie (let alone who is starring in it).

(insert long angry diatribe here about Chloé Zhao and Sarah Michelle Gellar, announcing their Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot will not be happening the day before the Oscars)

So to sum up: I think One Battle After Another is wonderful film. It’s messy and it’s strange and the story has unexpected twists and turns. I think the cast is wonderful and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something to watch that doesn’t feel formulaic or dumbed down.

Below is a video I saw this past week which showcases different film formats capturing the same performance (you thought I was pushing against such things but here I am sharing something – I have layers, like an onion). I wish there was a version where you could watch each camera’s perspective fullscreen rather than all at once but it’s an interesting comparison. Given that the only differences are the kind of film and position of the cameras you get a clear sense of how those two things influence and shape what you are experiencing.