In this episode of Fascism on Film, we turn to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another—the first contemporary release we’ve ever covered—and explore why its explosive, relentless energy belongs in a conversation about authoritarianism. We talk about the film’s stunning VistaVision photography, its overwhelming momentum, and what it was like to experience it in IMAX and in one of the rare 35mm VistaVision projections restored for the release.

From there, we dig into the film’s political world: a secretive network of wealthy white supremacists known as the Christmas Adventurers Club, and Stephen J. “Lockjaw” (Sean Penn), a violent, self-loathing racist whose pursuit of a biracial child threatens the entire organization. Opposed to them is the French 75, a resistance group battling ICE-style detentions and state violence. What emerges is a portrait of a society where police and military blur together, protests turn into orchestrated chaos, and the machinery of power runs on fear, myth, and racial purity.

We discuss how Anderson uses satire, farce, and relentless action to expose the modern dynamics of extremist ideology—manufactured panic, fantasies of a dangerous left, and the contradictions of white supremacist thinking. Scenes of provocateurs disguised as police, militarized crackdowns, and immigrant families fleeing for safety feel less like dystopia and more like the nightly news. The film becomes a mirror of the moment, reflecting a country wrestling with identity, violence, and the threat of creeping authoritarianism.

Finally, we look at the cultural reaction—from right-wing outrage to accusations of glorifying resistance—and why Anderson’s film feels even more urgent now than when it was shot. One Battle After Another isn’t a film about historical fascism; it’s about the conditions that make fascism possible. And that’s exactly why we’re talking about it.