“I love the premise of someone we think will be a hero capable of resurrecting the tools of their revolutionary past,” said DiCaprio. “But their true heroism is the idea of relentlessly moving forward to protect their daughter.”
DiCaprio plays the former revolutionary Bob Ferguson in the new feature film by director Paul Thomas Anderson, who loosely based the screenplay on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel ‘Vineland’.
Ferguson is “a disaster of a father,” according to Leonardo DiCaprio, but is thrust into a situation where he must save his daughter Willa, portrayed by Chase Infiniti.
The script sets up the type of traditional protagonist we’ve seen many times, but the character evolves as the film progresses. DiCaprio drew inspiration from Al Pacino in ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ and Jeff Bridges in ‘The Big Lebowski’ to create Bob Ferguson.
The nearly three-hour-long ‘Battle After Battle’ is a film that Paul Thomas Anderson began contemplating making twenty years ago. The director and screenwriter address current themes, including illegal immigration and racism, in a film that balances large action scenes and intimate character moments.
“What Paul manages to do is take topics that would typically be controversial and find humor in the absurdity of it all,” described actress Regina Hall, who plays Deandra. “It’s about love, it’s about family,” she continued. “Connection, commitment, revolution.”
Another subject tackled by the director is what can happen to a woman after becoming a mother, something experienced by Perfidia Beverly Hills, the revolutionary portrayed by Teyana Taylor.
“It was easy to see that Paul was shedding light on postpartum depression, which is a very real issue that’s not often talked about,” indicated the actress, who hopes the film fosters healthy conversations.
“We don’t always agree with what she does, but we see a woman in survival mode asserting herself, which is rare because we’re forced to be strong,” said Taylor. “Seeing a woman say ‘I’m standing up for myself no matter the cost’ meant a lot.”
The revolutionaries at the center of the story are part of the French 75 organization and are pursued by Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, portrayed by Sean Penn. On the other side, Benicio Del Toro is Sensei Sergio, who aids Bob Ferguson in saving his daughter.
“I was, in a way, an anchor, although the scenes are full of movement,” said Del Toro at the conference. The actor mentioned that the director allowed for collaboration and input of ideas. “It was a lot of fun,” he added.
The initial reviews, ahead of the premiere, have been very positive. Paul Thomas Anderson expressed his hope that audiences will enjoy the film in cinemas, especially those with VistaVision – the ‘old’ and revolutionary decades-old technology he used to film it, which he described as “3D without glasses.”
Leonardo DiCaprio made a similar appeal. “Everything in this film was made to create the community experience in the cinema,” he stated, “the locations, the soundtrack, the sound, in an era flooded with content.”
“It’s one of the original ideas I hope people support,” he emphasized.
‘Battle After Battle’, from Warner Bros. studios, hits theaters on September 25.
