‘One Battle After Another’: A Second Opinion With Van Lathan

Key Takeaways

"One Battle After Another" generated significant debate on its box office, representation, and filmmaking culture.
Fiscal expectations differ for filmmakers based on their project size and background, influencing artistic opportunities.
Nia DaCosta's career highlights challenges and achievements for Black female directors in Hollywood.
Corporate patronage plays a critical role in film funding, often reflecting biases in supported narratives.
The film's portrayal of Black women, particularly the character Profidia Beverly Hills, drew considerable criticism.
Discussions emphasized the need for better representation and validation of Black women's experiences in cinema.
The episode explored the definition of an "important story" and its societal versus artistic impact.

The discussion contrasted stringent fiscal expectations placed on smaller filmmakers with immense budgets allocated to established directors.
The guest argued for fiscal responsibility across the board, citing "Sinners" as an example of a film celebrated culturally despite profitability concerns.
The host posited that the commodification of art inherently creates inequality, disproportionately affecting artists with fewer resources.

The guest noted that a $170 million budget is anomalous for a director whose prior films have not grossed over $75 million, especially without intellectual property.
The box office discourse surrounding "One Battle After Another" was criticized as a "nightmare" fueled by bad-faith arguments from industry trades.
Despite potential criticisms, the film's actual substance is perceived as being missed due to unfair financial performance metrics.

Director Nia DaCosta's films 'Candyman' and 'The Marvels' underperformed at the box office, with the guest suggesting she received a 'raw deal'.
Her upcoming projects include a reimagining of 'Hedda Gabler' with Tessa Thompson and 'The Bone Temple,' a sequel to '28 Years Later'.
DaCosta's consistent work in both independent and franchise cinema as a Black female filmmaker is highlighted as rare and earned, noting it likely wouldn't have happened two decades prior.

The discussion addressed the necessity of corporate patronage for funding artistic endeavors, comparing corporations to the Medicis.
The A24 film 'The Smashing Machine,' budgeted at $60-70 million, was mentioned as an example of corporate artistic support.
The guest pointed out that corporate patronage often favors specific types of individuals or stories, reflecting social comfort or idolization.

Van Lathan critiqued 'One Battle After Another,' stating it fails Black women, specifically the character Profidia Beverly Hills, played by Teon Taylor.
Profidia was described as an 'abomination' due to her 'grotesquely selfish and unaware' actions, including abandoning her child and betraying a revolutionary cause.
The guest noted the character was not originally Black in the source material, which he felt exacerbated the problematic portrayal as a 'fetish fantasy' in a specific scene.

The discussion analyzed a character's selfishness and the film's portrayal of stereotypes associated with Black women, suggesting links to self-preservation and coercion within a fetishizing system.
A debate arose on whether the film judges the character Perfidia, whose actions lead to destruction and abandonment, contradicting the idea of revolutionary mothers who prioritize children.
The systemic impact of Perfidia's choices harmed all nuns and led to widespread destruction, resonating deeply due to personal interpretations of its meaning.

The discussion focused on the portrayal of a middle-aged Black woman, questioning whether she is a hero or villain and how her character aligns with actions of Black female activists.
The conversation touched on the nuances of artistic creation versus representation and the potential for censorship when critiquing characterizations.
The hosts acknowledged the ongoing nature and importance of these discussions within the community regarding films receiving significant attention.

One host argued the film offers a nuanced and frictional depiction rather than an insensitive one, presenting the Perfidia character as a confrontation to the audience.
The discussion explored whether artistic choices, like the 'rat' character, are intentionally provocative or simply miss the mark, leading to audience discomfort.
Speakers debated whether portrayals of Black women in film may feel performative or disconnected from reality.

The guest emphasized a desire to see Black women protected in film and criticized the portrayal of revolutionaries as haphazard, failing to do justice to Black tradition.
The conversation discussed the theme of overcoming adversity, particularly for Black Americans, noting that while progress has been made, the fight for equality is ongoing.
The movie's core themes included economic and political power contrasted with personal desires, highlighting an enduring father-daughter relationship.