We’ve Seen New Wes Anderson in Venice. Charming Escapism Amidst Grey Reality

Let's be honest – Anderson's Asteroid City (today his penultimate film) wasn't a great success to match The Grand Budapest Hotel. A visual masterpiece, a dual narrative, one grand metaphor for the art of theater and accepting loss: all of these aspects should have a positive effect on the quality of this film, yet something was lacking. Heart? Was it too artificial? With a good idea, but without skillful execution? There may be more than one answer, which doesn't change the fact that not all viewers caught the convention of Asteroid City.

Luckily, Anderson made another movie this year. We had the opportunity to see it a few weeks ago at the festival in Venice. What was supposed to be just a whim of the director turned out to be an intriguing departure from all the pieces he’s made in recent years. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a forty-minute journey into the depths of characters, crazy situations, astonishing miracles, and all sorts of bizarre actions.

A short and sensible film

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, 2023, Wes Anderson, Netflix

First of all, it's Anderson in full glory, so literally every fan of the director will find something interesting in this film. Selected shots and a clear, consistent color palette, as well as skillfully picked actors – seemingly nothing new, but without issues. We get a relatively simple story: the narrator (Ralph Fiennes as Dahl) tells us about the titular Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch), a wealthy man who one day finds out about a man who can see even with his eyes closed (Ben Kingsley). Bored with his life, he finally decides to change something and embarks on a journey to find this mysterious person. You enter the tempting, magical, and wonderful world of Henry Sugar as if you were at home. After a few words of introduction, we feel that it's a brief, albeit gratifying escape from gray and somber reality.

What's more, even those who don't like the director's sophisticated (and often empty) style should give Henry Sugar a chance – it's not only a display of form but also a meaningful tribute to literature that a successful and thoughtful adaptation can be. We can't forget that Anderson doesn't try to redefine a story that’s already been told (the film is based on a short story by Roald Dahl) but only brings it to the screen in a clear and engaging way. Perhaps that's why this adaptation is so effective – Anderson doesn't meddle in other people's affairs (the plot) but simply draws from what has already been written. He translates his own ideas into the language of film – inviting us into his unconventional mind.

Anderson on the stage

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, 2023, Wes Anderson, Netflix

Asteroid City has already proven to us that Anderson is interested in the marriage of film and theater. The director attempts to merge two micro-worlds, thereby creating one cohesive entity (a film) on a macro level: resonant, brimming with vibrant acting, and captivating the viewer with the simplicity of its message. In The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, there are no omissions, cliché metaphors, nor allegories. Every little thing is said directly – both in the film and to the viewer. When actors talk, they communicate both with themselves and with us.

In the film, each lead actor performs as if they had walked onto the Metropolitan Opera House stage and simply started reciting the lines they had memorized to the audience around them. Ben Kingsley excels as a comedic extra – he’s already demonstrated in many comedies that he thrives in such roles, and as he portrays a guru in the film, he winks at those who still remember him from his Oscar-winning role as Gandhi! Benedict Cumberbatch, on the other hand, showcases his skills as a restrained dandy, deliberately distancing himself from his wealth in pursuit of a new purpose (notice his calculation!).

The result is captivating, as we are aware that it isn't just a conscious play with form, but also an effort to capture a certain melodramatic energy; those indescribable relations that typically arise between actors during their theatrical performances. This seems like an unsupported reflection, so the author of this text will take a moment of privacy because he saw Ralph Fiennes in person (in one of the more modern plays), so he has a point of comparison. And he can say one thing: Fiennes in the play and Fiennes in Henry Sugar are exactly the same. It's important to note such nuances as: breaking the fourth wall, careful and conscious intonation of specific lines, or openly acknowledging the fact that you’re performing – that you’re on stage. It's hard to say whether something like this can be described at all, although one thing is certain: the effect will keep you interested.

Not a story, just an "imageteller"

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, 2023, Wes Anderson, Netflix

Anderson utilizes one of Roald Dahl's less famous stories to do what he excels at – the director isn't a storyteller (although the plot for this film is relatively significant), but an imageteller. Like his several previous productions, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar impresses with its exquisite shots and audiovisual aura that stimulates senses and soul. Anderson tells stories through visuals, thus becoming a modern artist in every possible sense. We cannot remain indifferent to his art, even if it doesn't really excite us.

And let's be honest – we don't watch this film for its story (less vulgar than previously mentioned Asteroid City, although still pathological, fancy, and at times infantile), but for its cinematic "nature." We admire the actors, we are amazed by Anderson's camera, and with each passing minute of Henry Sugar, we simply flow – just like that. We sit back and wait... because anything can happen. It's a short, but funny and great film. After all, it's said that top-tier actors apparently work for Anderson for peanuts because they love the experience of working with the director. For the actors, it's something akin to liberation – and that’s no wonder. The wonderful world of Henry Sugar invites you, entices you, and proves that even a short story has a reason for existing if there’s an idea behind it.

OUR SCORE: 7/10

Jan Tracz

Jan Tracz

Graduated Film Studies (BA and MA) at King's College London, UK. Currently, he writes for Collider, WhyNow, The Upcoming, Ayo News, Interia Film, Przegląd, Film.org.pl, and Gamepressure.com. He has had publications in FIPRESCI, Eye For Film, British Thoughts Magazine, KINO, Magazyn PANI, WP Film, NOIZZ, Papaya Rocks, Tygodnik Solidarnosc, and Filmawka. He has also collaborated with Rock Radio and Movies Room. Conducted interviews with Alejandro González Ińárritu, Lasse Hallström, Michel Franco, Matthew Lewis, and David Thomson. His published works include an essay in the anthology "Nikt Nikomu Nie Tlumaczy: Swiat wedlug Kiepskich w kulturze" (Brak Przypisu Publishing, 2023). Laureate of the Leopold Unger Scholarship in 2023. Member of the Young FIPRESCI Jury during WFF 2023.