Asteroid City Explained!

You don’t know if this movie is for you? Let me help you decide.

If you have seen the movie, you might want to know more about the plot. The story runs on several threads. Which one is the most important? What should we pay attention to? Which one is the most crucial scene? My first Wes Anderson movie, but certainly not my last.

Asteroid City was my first Wes Anderson movie. I know many people are saying that don’t start your Anderson journey with Asteroid City, but I don’t care about caution. I’ve made up my mind, and it’s almost impossible to convince me otherwise. This isn’t like talking about philosophy, I thought — and I was wrong in the sense that it wasn’t philosophical. But I also was right because I enjoyed this movie, and I’m going to hop on that Wes Anderson train and watch all the movies I didn’t know I missed.

Oops…

To be honest, I have no answers to the questions stated in the subtitle. I have ideas and guesses. And my best guess is it depends on you. Tricky, I know. The Asteroid City is fascinating, for sure. Philosophical? Yes. Enjoyable? Definitely. Would I recommend it to watch it?

I’m doing it right now.

The Story

Here is the story without spoilers- haha, like I could spoil. Anyway, in a retro-futuristic version of the 1950s, a television host introduces a live production of Asteroid City, a play in the film’s setting by famed playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton). In the play, a youth astronomy convention is held in the fictional desert town of Asteroid City. 
In the play, war photojournalist Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) arrives with his four kids and the ashes of his wife. Since their car broke down, he called his father-in-law, Stanley (Tom Hanks), to ask for his help. Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), a famous actress, and her daughter Dinah (Grace Edwards) enter the play.

Later on, every character gets introduced. Don’t worry, it won’t be overwhelming. Everyone can fit in a local motel.

When the teenagers receive their awards, something extraordinary happens, and they are stuck in the city.

The extraordinary thing is an alien visit. But it’s more than that. It’s life itself with grief, hope, love, and all the feelings we keep inside.

You might be able to catch those feelings or project them onto the actors. After all, it’s a 105-minute Wes Anderson film.

But, again, who am I to label this movie?

Best Moments

I especially enjoyed the scene where Augie and his deceased wife (Margot Robbie) talk. Unfortunately, I can’t quote her, but Augie loses his motivation, and I think he wants to recall the film's purpose. I remember how I felt after.

I realized that the plot doesn’t matter. We should not think about the plot too much, nor should we think about the purpose of life too much. We don’t know why we are here. We just have to keep doing what we do. Keep playing the game we play. And even if we knew our purpose, could we accept it right away?

Isn’t it in human nature to stay curious and question everything?

As the actress says: “Just tell the story.”

“You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep”

As I translated it, all those people chant this mantra to remind us to slow down, stay curious, and never grow up. Take time to enjoy things, to think through our decisions, and to put some energy into understanding ourselves. You can get into the grind, aka fall asleep, as most people do, but you will lose all sense, or at least it will be difficult to understand the world. But I just said that we cannot understand the world. Well, it’s a dilemma. You can stay awake and stay curious and try to understand life or not even try it.

It’s playful and clever — just like the plot of our lives.

Conclusion

I loved this movie. I wonder if anyone else felt calm after seeing Asteroid City. It feels like Asteroid City is a response to the Everything, Everywhere All At Once. While I felt complete after the previous film, the latter overwhelmed me. Asteroid City was slow, had a lot of fascinating conversations, and gave the audience time to process the events. That is rare. The movie is more entertaining to think about than to watch, but I would watch it again anytime.

Wes Anderson gave me precisely what I wanted from a movie or even from life — an aesthetically pleasing environment, thought-provoking dialogues, random setbacks, time to think and feel, and interesting faces to look at.

Anderson’s obsession with faces and detailed but not overwhelming scenery, aka meticulous design, works brilliantly. The audience might feel like we are in a theatre — actions speak louder than words in the film. Each character has time to express themselves. Love it.

Which Wes Anderson movie is your favourite?

Have you seen Asteroid City?

Feel free to share your opinion with others in the comment section.

Thank you for reading me!

The Witty Witch