The French Dispatch (2021)

In a small French town, the editor (Bill Murray) of an American newspaper dies of a heart attack. A farewell issue is published as an obituary but it includes four articles which make up the bulk of the movie: 1) a description of the town by a cycling reporter (Owen Wilson), 2) a mentally disturbed artist (Benicio Del Toro) in jail for a double murder is courted by an art dealer (Adrien Brody) 3) a journalist (Frances McDormand) covers student riots but rather than remain neutral, she becomes romantically involved with one of the students (Timothee Chalamet), 4) the son (Winston Alt Hellal) of the police commissioner (Mathieu Amalric) is kidnapped. Written and directed by Wes Anderson (THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL), the ensemble film is a sort of love letter to the New Yorker magazine. Shot in both B&W and color and in the Academy ratio (1.37) with occasional expansion to wide screen, the cinematography of Robert Yeoman (BRIDESMAIDS) is stunning and easily one of the best looking films of the year. The stories with their anomalous characters are never less than fascinating and Anderson's affection for writers is evident in every frame. A charming, quirky film. The massive cast includes Tilda Swinton, Lea Seydoux, Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Jeffrey Wright, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Elisabeth Moss, Henry Winkler, Lois Smith, Stephen Park, Cecile De France, Bob Balaban and narration by Anjelica Huston.