Paul Thomas Anderson Explains Race In 'One Battle After Another'

Paul Thomas Anderson was a big winner at the Oscars, taking Best Picture for One Battle After Another, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. But his win didn’t come without controversy. There is a camp that loved the film – and it’s a big one – helping it to enough votes from the 11,000-member Academy to score the top prize.

But a cross-section of Black women are among those who disliked the movie, which stars Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, all of whom were nominated for acting roles. Only Penn was a winner, earning the trophy for Best Supporting Actor.

One Battle After Another takes place after a revolutionary group is exposed and the main character, played by DiCaprio, has to get himself and his daughter to safety. Taylor plays his girlfriend who is only seen in the first part of the movie. Newcomer Chase Infiniti is his daughter, and Regina Hall plays his former comrade.

Black women and others have been vocal online with their disdain for the movie, particularly as it relates to the racial politics and the portrayals of Black women. Taylor plays an activist lusted after by Penn’s character, who has a baby with DiCaprio’s character.

After winning the Oscar, Anderson, 55, took questions in the press area the controversy around the film came up. His previous movies, including Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and The Master, have made him a Hollywood favorite, but prior to this year, he’d gone 0-11 in Oscar nominations.

Anderson said he had heard some of the conversation around his latest film.

“I know a little bit about that critique,” Anderson, who is married to actress Maya Rudolph, said after being specifically pressed on Perfidia Beverly Hills, the character Taylor plays.

While Perfidia is viewed more as a device to propel the action of white male characters. Infiniti’s character, who plays her daughter (although the two don’t interact) is used to wrap up the narrative – too neatly for some.

“I know that Teyana has talked about it a lot,” Anderson said. “I know we have the portrayal of many different characters, in particular her character, who is so flawed, and unfortunately makes decisions that are detrimental to the revolution she is trying to fight.”

He added, “It’s complicated. We always knew we were trying to make something complicated. We knew we weren’t making something that was heroic, and we needed to lean into that, and we needed to own the fact that this woman was suffering not only from postpartum depression, but she was suffering from issues of her own that she hadn’t really reconciled with.”

Film critics and industry insiders say Anderson’s win acknowledges both his current film and his body of work over the last two decades, which was snubbed. One Battle After Another is also viewed as a timely work that encompasses the racism, misogyny and immigration policies that have people questioning the future of democracy in the United States.

“Our film obviously has a certain amount of parallels to what’s happening in the news every day, so it obviously reflects what’s happening in the world,” Anderson said.

“In terms of where it’s going – I don’t know. But I know that the end of our movie is our hero, Willa (Infiniti), heading off to continue to fight against evil forces, and I think, like I said in my speech, at least put common sense and decency back into fashion.”

See how social media is feeling about the Oscars below.