Few movie theater experiences this year compare to watching a One Battle After Another. It's a complete film: engaging, captivating, fun, current and emotional. It took the filmmaker more than a decade Paul Thomas Anderson write the script for the feature, and the whim is evident.

The film appears as a great contemporary hero's journey in an unpretentious way, without needing to make an effort to be considered as such (but it is clear that there was a lot of effort behind it).

At first glance, it is Leonardo DiCaprio who, at the height of his performance reach, plays the role of this main figure, but we later realize that he does not exactly match the heroic ideal. Bob Ferguson, a former American revolutionary, is a clumsy guy, who retired from the guerrilla after being persecuted and forced to flee with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).

This persecution, at the hands of a right-wing authoritarian government, resulted in the kidnapping of his wife, Perfidia Beverly Hills (a magnetic Teyana Taylor), who fled and was never found again.

After 16 years in hiding, father and daughter are surprised by the return of an enemy, Steven J. Lockjaw (played imposingly by Sean Penn), and new death threats. Bob and Willa turn to old allies, like the excellent and fundamental Benicio del Toro in the shoes of Sensei Sergio, to save themselves and do everything to find themselves again.

The trials of the trajectory put the father in trouble, highlighted by a hilarious sequence about memory loss regarding guerrilla codes. Surrounded by a soundtrack with a rising and dissonant piano (in tune with the character who missteps), Bob's antics are more than simple comic relief, they represent his love for his daughter and make it clear that she is the true heroine.

Willa goes through the great transformation of the story, as she begins to become aware of herself, her context and, most importantly, the country around her.

In this way, the director and screenwriter dissects the political situation in the United States. No element is inserted haphazardly, every detail was very well thought out and executed — thanks to the excellent assembly.

Another beauty, the photography puts the viewer in the shoes of the characters, like the sensational car chase scene.

With its feet on the ground, the realistic ending makes the film the message we need at this moment in world history.

Without a doubt, it will be one of the favorites for next year's Oscars.

Using: ★★★★ering

Published in VEJA São Paulo on October 3, 2025, issue no. 2964