Making movies must be incredibly difficult. So many things must go right and no amount of time, sweat, and money can guarantee success. It either sticks in one’s mind and reshapes reality forever or it does not and “One Battle After Another” is an extreme example of this challenge. It is an excellent movie in every way and, yet, despite the ear-splitting level of critical buzz, it just doesn’t work. The reason for this appears to be that the movie did not pass the verisimilitude test.
“Verisimilitude,” or the magical ability to make a viewer unconsciously accept the reality of a movie, is a key part of any film. Just ask director Richard Donner, who told American Cinematographer that he used verisimilitude as a mantra for making the 1978 film “Superman: The Movie”.
“It’s a word which refers to reality,” said Donner, referring to verisimilitude. “I had it printed on big signs which were sent to every creative department — wardrobe, casting, special effects, you-name-it. It was a constant reminder that if we gave in to temptation, and parodied Superman, we would only be fooling ourselves.”
Creating verisimilitude is mysterious. There is no exact formula for it. It is a “know-it-when-you-see-it” kind of thing. But if there was a formula then “One Battle After Another” followed it as closely as possible.
The movie had everything: great actors, a great director, memory etching images, and, most importantly, the setting is timely and realistic. An America swirling with immigrant hunting military police and swelled with detention centers looks eerily familiar with current events.
Nevertheless, somehow, it’s not believable. It’s too much. The characters are too cool, too radical, too cruel, too innocent, or too lost. There’s none of the fear, menace, confusion, bravery, sadness, or joy that one feels watching “I’m Still Here” (“Ainda Estou Aqui” in Portuguese), the outstanding 2024 film about one family’s struggle under the 1970s Brazilian dictatorship.
It's the difference between showing and telling. In “I’m Still Here” the viewer’s heart races and head spins along with Eunice Pavia’s — the main character’s — as plainclothes cops calmly seize her husband, plant themselves in her home, and upend her family. It’s a turning point moment and the viewer feels how sharply it steers the lives of Eunice and her children towards a new path.
In contrast, in “One Battle After Another”, everything about an equally plot-turning police raid on Bob Ferguson’s (née “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun’s) home is announced and instead of feeling Bob’s shock and surprise the viewer merely observes it.
In other words, if a movie is like roller coaster, then “I’m Still Here” passes the verisimilitude test because the viewer rides side-by-side with the characters whereas “One Battle After Another” fails because the viewer watches the characters from afar.
This lack of verisimilitude also undercuts other parts of the movie. For example, unlike the television show “Better Call Saul”, it’s hard to not roll one’s eyes in disbelief when watching all the outlandish plots and hideouts used by Christman Adventurers Club, the evil, string-pulling masterminds from “One Battle After Another”. Gus Fring and Lalo Salamanca, the “Better Call Saul” bad guys, are equally sneaky. But, because the show constantly — episode by episode — passes the verisimilitude test, the viewer just accepts their incredible schemes.
The goal here is not to dump on “One Battle After Another”. Again, creating verisimilitude is very hard. It’s the magic that makes movies magical and, as seen with “One Battle After Another”, even the best magicians sometimes cannot conjure it. Instead, the goal is to appreciate even more the moments — such as watching “Superman: The Movie”, “I’m Still Here”, or “Better Call Saul” — when they do conjure it. For its these amazing moments when a story has the power to shape one’s memories, one’s reality, one’s life.
Hope you EnJOY!
- The Middle-Aged Slacker