I walked into the theater to watch “The Phonician Scheme” with modest expectations. Given that it was a Wes Anderson film, I anticipated his hallmark smooth dolly shots, detailed and symmetrical framing and warm, dream-like color palette. I was hopeful for a laugh and possibly some action, as the listed genre of comedy/thriller entailed.
“The Phoenician Scheme” tells the story of a wealthy and controversial businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro). After repeated assassination attempts, Korda appoints his only daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a nun, as the sole heir to his estate to secure the future of his empire. The two, along with Korda’s administrative secretary, Bjorn Lund (Michael Cera) , embark on Korda’s newest business endeavor, traveling around the world, dodging assassinations, foreign terrorists, devious tycoons and plane crashes, and giving out hand grenades as peace offerings.
What I didn’t expect was for this film to be particularly heavy, given it was directed by Wes Anderson and its genre marking. Despite this, “The Phoenician Scheme” hinted at some thought-provoking themes. The movie indirectly dealt with subject matters like finding belonging in family, religion and the afterlife, and how oligarchies affect business, politics and the world.
These themes, particularly the last one, and the film in general, felt fitting in our current political and social context. Anderson admitted he hadn’t structured this film based on our reality, but it seemed to him that “everything’s filtering in.”
Although I was pleasantly surprised by the hint of deeper meaning in this movie, it didn’t reach as far as it could’ve or as far as I wanted it to. The themes emerged subtly during the 101 minutes of run time, but afterward I found myself wishing for more exploration of them, and, in tandem, more depth to the film.
For example, Korda often mentions his shady business tactics including the use of slave labor and his role in causing a famine. While it is made clear that Korda, his associates and his enemies are acting unethically and inhumanely through rambling, confusing and quick-paced monologues, bursts of screaming and unusual meetings, the ramifications of these oligarchies are never examined. This feels like a missed opportunity, and a better version of this film would explore its deeper themes more thoroughly while still maintaining its comedic integrity.
In addition to the lack of examination of underlying themes, the plot felt slightly convoluted. The film progressed in a checklist format, notifying the audience of who and where the group was visiting next, which helped. However, the exposition felt rushed, and I didn’t feel equipped with enough details on Korda, his business exploits and his enemies before being pulled into his world. The confusing setup of these details did, however, reveal a bit of Korda’s personality and hint at the theme of oligarchies and shady businessmen.
The characters were the heart of the film and kept me engaged through the occasionally confusing plot line. Although it felt like new characters were introduced every 10 minutes, making the plot even harder to follow, everyone was unique and enjoyable to meet. Each actor in the star-studded cast of this movie managed to infuse their character with personality, while still maintaining the typical Anderson deadpan expression and line delivery.
Cera delivered my favorite performance, with Bjorn’s random interjections of information on insects and a lighthearted personality coupled with a dark secret. Threapleton delivered a stunning performance as Leisl, juxtaposing del Toro’s blunt and belligerent character with a quiet, yet powerful and hilarious, stillness.