Bravely expanding the boundaries of film, Wes Anderson digs deeper into his aesthetic in his recent collection of four short films, adaptations of Roald Dahl’s stories: THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR, THE SWAN, THE RAT CATCHER and POISON.
Wes Anderson's brand identity is second to non, one of the special few directors whose unique aesthetic has become synonymous with his name. Ironically, in a recent Deadline interview by Damon Wise, Anderson claimed he doesn't have an aesthetic, a quote that predictably ripped through the internet like wildfire. But he clarified, speaking of how aesthetics often develop from unexpected circumstances, a truism that applies to creative work in general, artistic or otherwise.
Anderson pinpoints the chance flooding of the baseball diamond set in Rushmore (1998) as having kicked off his formal aesthetic pursuit. His solution for that shoot day was using long, symmetrical dolly shots to avoid the field’s mud.
Anderson’s dolly shots are alive and well in the four Dahl stories, along with his color palette, theatrical set design and actors’ deliveries. In fact, one could argue that these style elements are more rigorous than ever, born from his intention of having the Dahl stories literally read to the viewer.
As Anderson playfully states 'I like stories that are stories within stories and plays within stories and movies within plays within stories.’ In this sense it's worth considering the four short films as filmbooks, with lines blurred between film, literature and theatre. But aesthetically, they’re also filmpaintings.
The result are films so precious you want to frame them. But they’re certainly not for everyone, so the expectation of the movie experience should be kept in check. Personally, I found Poison to be the most accessible, thanks to the tension and brilliant intensity of Dev Patel, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ben Kingsley.
Kudos to Wes Anderson for his bravery in exploring an aesthetic pursuit to its maximum expression. We need more unique voices in film, and global platforms like Netflix provide the perfect venue to access audiences for them.
