The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
Directed by Wes Anderson. Performances by Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet. Twentieth Century Fox, 2021. 108 min. Rated R. Comedy / Drama
A salute to writers and expatriates, Wes Anderson’s tenth feature takes the form of the final edition of The French Dispatch, a weekly magazine chronicling life in the (fictional) city of Ennui-sur-Blasé, France (for American readers). Made up of three featured stories—a profile of a tortured artist, a report on student revolutionaries, and a recounting of a tabloid kidnapping with a gourmet twist—plus an obituary and a travelogue, this dazzlingly constructed anthology mixes everything from theatrical interludes to tableaux vivants to comic-book animation. The superb ensemble cast includes Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, Léa Seydoux, Owen Wilson, and Tilda Swinton.