Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” Dazzles at Cannes: A Father-Daughter Tale of Epic Proportions
In the latest addition to his meticulously crafted cinematic universe, director Wes Anderson unveiled “The Phoenician Scheme” at the Cannes Film Festival, bringing with him an impressive ensemble cast led by Benicio del Toro in what may be one of the most memorable roles of his career.
Set in 1950, the film follows Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda (del Toro), an enigmatic European industrialist and one of the continent’s wealthiest men, who survives his sixth plane crash as the story begins. After years of ruthless business practices have made him a target for assassins worldwide, Korda decides to appoint a successor for his decades-long business venture, the “Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme.” His choice? His estranged 20-year-old daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who has been living as a nun since he sent her to a convent at age five following her mother’s death.
A Star-Studded Affair
The Cannes press conference for the film was as colourful and spirited as Anderson’s visuals, with the stage filled with talent including Benicio del Toro, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Cera, Mia Threapleton, Richard Ayoade, and Rupert Friend.
Del Toro, who dominates the screen as Zsa-zsa, shared amusing anecdotes about filming the opening bathtub sequence. “Wes put the camera up on the ceiling, and then we all had to do everything really fast,” he recalled to laughter from the audience. “Fast, because he’s going to shoot it in slow motion… The Wes Anderson train, when it goes, it goes.”
The atmosphere turned especially playful when Anderson was asked if he’d ever consider making a sequel to one of his films. After a moment’s consideration, he offered with a smile, “We’ll do ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Too,'” drawing applause from the assembled press.
A Breakthrough for Threapleton
Perhaps most remarkable is Mia Threapleton’s performance as Liesl, which is astonishingly assured for what is one of her first major roles. The young actress recounted her journey to the part with endearing candor.
“I was given a very, very small character brief,” she explained. “Literally, it was: ‘You’ve not seen your father in six years and you are a novice nun.'”
When she learned she had secured the role opposite del Toro, “I genuinely didn’t believe that it was true,” she admitted. “I was on a train at the time, and I just sat down on the floor and had a little cry.”
Throughout the press conference, Threapleton’s genuine enthusiasm for the project shone through. “Every single day there was a pinch-me moment,” she said, a sentiment that seemed to resonate with even the most seasoned cast members.
The Heart of the Story
While Anderson’s films are known for their distinctive visual style and quirky characters, “The Phoenician Scheme” reveals itself to be, at its core, a moving father-daughter story. Del Toro put it simply: “The father/daughter angle is the heart of the piece.”
Anderson elaborated that the film draws from personal connections. “That theme might have something to do with me having a daughter,” he explained, noting that aspects of the story were inspired by his wife Juman’s father, Fouad Malouf, a Lebanese businessman to whom the film is dedicated.
As Zsa-zsa and Liesl travel across “Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia” to close a financial gap in his grand infrastructure plan, their relationship evolves from one of strategic necessity to genuine familial connection. The journey takes them through encounters with colorful business partners played by an all-star cast including Riz Ahmed as Prince Farouk, Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston as the Sacramento Consortium, Mathieu Amalric as Marseille Bob, Jeffrey Wright as Marty, and Scarlett Johansson as Cousin Hilda.
Anderson’s Immaculate World-Building
True to form, Anderson created a complete world for the film, with production designer Adam Stockhausen building elaborate sets at Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam, Germany. The film marks Anderson’s first collaboration with cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, who brings what Anderson describes as “something darker” to the lighting that suits the story.
The attention to detail extended to the artwork featured in Korda’s collection, with the production securing loans of actual masterpieces including works by Renoir and Magritte. “I thought it would mean something to the actors to be with these real objects,” Anderson noted. “You would feel in the movie that they were real.”
Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Zsa-zsa’s mysterious half-brother Nubar, offered perhaps the most succinct description of the experience on an Anderson set: “He’s not human. He’s biblical.”
The Verdict
With “The Phoenician Scheme,” Anderson has created another instantly iconic character in Zsa-zsa Korda, brought to life with magnetic presence by del Toro. The film balances the director’s trademark visual flair and deadpan humor with genuine emotional depth, as Zsa-zsa’s journey becomes less about wealth and power and more about rediscovering what truly matters.
As del Toro reflected on the film’s conclusion: “It doesn’t matter if you are on the winning team or the losing team. What’s important is your family, your friends, and that your drive towards doing something stays alive.”
“The Phoenician Scheme” is set for release on May 30 from Focus Features, with a wider release to follow on June 6.
Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).
