Asteroid City (2023)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A multi-layered narrative explores a mysterious extraterrestrial visitation at a desert convention, framed as both a play and a documentary.
The story
The film presents a dual narrative structure: a television documentary about the making of a play and the play itself. Set in a retro-futuristic 1955, the play follows a Junior Stargazer convention in a desert town in the American Southwest. The town is located near atomic test sites and is famous for a meteorite impact. The plot unfolds as the convention participants, including a war photojournalist and a weary film actress, encounter the unexpected arrival of extraterrestrials and UFOs. The story explores the interactions between the characters as they navigate the sudden events and the resulting military quarantine.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film alternates between a black-and-white documentary about the production of a play and the play itself, which is presented in stylized color. The play is set in 1955 in Asteroid City, a desert town near atomic test sites. A group of people, including a photojournalist Augie and actress Midge, attend a Junior Stargazer convention. When a UFO appears and steals a meteorite remnant, the military imposes a quarantine. The narrative follows the characters' experiences during this period, including a romance between a cowboy and a teacher, and the tension of the information blockade. In the third act, the situation becomes a public spectacle. The documentary reveals the internal conflicts of the actors and the playwright, Conrad Earp. It shows the relationship between the playwright and the actor playing Augie, and the struggles of the director. The film concludes with the lifting of the quarantine and the revelation of the characters' fates, while the documentary ends with a final sequence where the actors repeat a line as the alien appears one last time.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wes Anderson
- Writers
- Wes Anderson · writer; Roman Coppola · story
- Cast and characters
- Jason Schwartzman · Augie; Scarlett Johansson · Midge; Tom Hanks; Jeffrey Wright; Tilda Swinton; Bryan Cranston; Edward Norton; Adrien Brody; Liev Schreiber; Hope Davis; Steve Park; Rupert Friend
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy; drama
- Themes
- metatextuality; isolation
- Tone and mood
- stylized; retro-futuristic
- Premise and plot tags
- multi-layered narrative; alien visitation; historical fiction
- Content notes
- nudity
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews and was praised for its unique visual and narrative style, though some critics noted its pace and complex structure.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 60
- Production trivia
- Bill Murray was originally cast as the motel manager but was replaced by Steve Carell due to COVID-19.; The film's title was revealed by Bill Murray at the BFI London Film Festival.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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