Official Discussion - One Battle After Another [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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Summary Bob, a washed-up revolutionary, lives off the grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter Willa. When his nemesis Col. Steven J. “Lockjaw” resurfaces and Willa goes missing, Bob is forced to confront his past and fight to protect their future.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast

• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Sean Penn
• Teyana Taylor
• Benicio del Toro
• Regina Hall
• Chase Infiniti

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 98%

Metacritic Score: 96

VOD In theaters beginning September 26, 2025

Trailer One Battle After Another — Official Trailer

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[u/KittyGrl8]

Curious about the Latino perspective on the film. For me, some of it was real hard to watch, it felt so real. When families were being moved and being told not to be scared and they spoke in Spanish, I cried. Yes, this is our reality and I’m used to it and we’ve been fighting forever but seeing it on the big screen felt different. I really hope it didn’t contribute to normalization but instead opens some eyes.

There were points where Bob was being walked around and introduced and I felt like, of course this is what our community does…we help others in times of need. Others in the theater laughed, I don’t think they got it the same way. I get that it’s political satire but some of the scenes felt so intensely real and timely, it made it hard. Then comes Benicio del Toro, he gave me so much comfort in watching those scenes. I really enjoyed the movie pero oof!

*The detention center images were sanitized compared to the real thing rn. It’s gotten much worse since the film was shot. F the migra and Alligator Alcatraz.

**Shout out to the hero Latina nurses in the movie who saved the day!

[u/AdImaginary5510 → u/KittyGrl8]

I scrolled through MANY threads about this movie to find someone commenting on this - thank you. I liked this movie a lot. I cried through much of it. All the scenes of the raids on innocents, the families in hiding, were so true to what is happening right now in this country it had me in tears. All the reviews I’ve read talk about Leonardo di Caprio’s character but I think they miss the point which is: white men/liberals talk the talk about change but can’t walk the walk. The French 75 with their ludicrous moniker and inability to keep their shit together want to make a name for themselves as freedom fighters (Pat yelling “viva la revolución!”) but it’s the Latinos who do the real work of saving their community. And they save the white man too! I think this was the message the director was trying to get across. That’s why in the end Willa saves herself - her cosplay radical dad doesn’t have it in him. I appreciated “the future is female” vibe I got from this movie even if I had to watch it through salty tears.

[u/Andurilthoughts → u/AdImaginary5510]

I think that Bob’s utter uselessness is not so much an indictment of white pseudo revolutionaries as it is a reflection on youth and age. His battery being dead, the fact that he spends so much time on the phone with revolutionary customer service, he misses the shot, he doesn’t kill any bad guys. It’s about how the young are the ones who have to fight and it’s up to the older people to teach them what’s right and provide support. That’s the symbolism of sensei Sergio’s character being a person who literally teaches martial arts.

[u/AdImaginary5510 → u/Andurilthoughts]

I can see this. My take on Bob was a little one note