'One Battle After Another' opens in China to acclaim

Paul Thomas Anderson's critically acclaimed film "One Battle After Another" debuted in China last weekend to rave reviews from cinemagoers.

Paul Thomas Anderson directs Leonardo DiCaprio in "One Battle After Another." [Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures]

Written, directed and produced by Anderson, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, a washed-up revolutionary living in stoned paranoia off-grid with his daughter Willa. When his nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and Willa disappears, the former radical scrambles to find her as both confront the consequences of his past. The cast also includes Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti.

The filmmaker said the story originated from three ideas he had been developing over the past 20 years: an action car-chase movie, an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's "Vineland," and a female revolutionary character. He explained that while a direct adaptation of the novel proved difficult, he ultimately integrated elements from it with his other concepts, with Pynchon's blessing. Anderson also noted that this is the first film he has made in a long time that set in contemporary times, adding that the present day setting was a freeing experience that allowed the crew to shoot flexibly across locations from Texas to California.

"As an audience member, what I want to see is a story that I can relate to, that's emotional. For me, that emotion usually comes from a story about family, from the ways in which we love and hate," Anderson said. "For this film that is really two things: Can this father find his daughter, and what does it mean to be a family?"

The director recalled that working with DiCaprio was an amazing experience, and that their collaboration was exciting from the first scene. "I remember thinking this is going to be a very exciting 100 days. I understand star power. And he's a terrific collaborator as well. He knows what questions to ask about the story, where there were things to be addressed. We had a terrific time," he said. 

DiCaprio said that Anderson was the primary reason he joined the project, calling the opportunity to work with him very special after wanting to do so for over 20 years. He described Anderson as "a unique and profound voice of his generation" and "one of the great filmmakers of his time," adding that making a film on this subject with him at this point in his career was very meaningful.

"There are so few filmmakers that have an unexpected way of tackling different subjects, and there's always such mystery and intrigue, the element of the unknown with his characters and his stories, that makes you want to continue watching his work," the award-winning actor said. "He brought this film to me — it was something he was working on for many years — and I simply jumped at the opportunity to be able to collaborate with him."

DiCaprio was well aware that this was not a typical hero's story. "My character, Bob, had within him that ability to protect what he loves and to fight for what he loves, but he's lost that. And this whole film is about him trying to rediscover that."

The actor emphasized the film's large scale, noting that it contains spectacular elements that make it one of the director's biggest productions. He also highlighted the use of VistaVision film technology, incredible locations and bold yet unconventional action sequences. He described the approach as distinctly Anderson's — avoiding CGI and excessive post-production in favor of genuine environments with real cars that create a raw, unexpected experience.

A still from "One Battle After Another." [Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures]

"It's Paul Thomas Anderson's version of action, which is unique to any other action film that we're used to seeing," he said. "One of the things that I always love in movies, whether it be action or suspense or the resolution of something within a sort of finite world, is when it has your attention from the beginning and it lasts throughout the entirety of the movie. There's not a second that you can take a breath. And those movies really stand the test of time. And Paul really accomplished that in this movie. You're on the edge of your seat from beginning to the end."

The film received an advance screening at the Pingyao International Film Festival in the ancient town of Pingyao in north China's Shanxi province in September. Renowned Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke introduced the screening, which received praise from critics and industry peers. The film is the first by Anderson to be officially released in China, pleasing his fans and impressing Chinese audiences since its nationwide theatrical release on Oct. 17. On Douban, China's major review platform, the movie currently has a high score of 8.1/10 based on more than 46,000 user reviews.