As a film critic with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Francis Ford Coppola’s latest cinematic offering, “Megalopolis,” is a veritable feast for the eyes and the mind. The film masterfully weaves together themes of corruption, greed, and the quest for utopia in a society on the brink.
On a Monday evening, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola engaged in a discussion with Robert De Niro and Spike Lee about his latest self-financed movie, the challenging production of which is well-known, titled “Megalopolis.” They reminisced about their shared history living in New York City, and expressed their views on contemporary America. This chat was meandering, encompassing a broad array of topics with numerous detours and red herrings. If you’ve ever had a conversation with someone aged 85, despite its clarity, the flow can be erratic at best. Such is the feeling one gets while watching “Megalopolis.
The film, Megalopolis, doesn’t resemble typical movies. Instead, it has a unique, free-flowing rhythm in both dialogue and the overall narrative. The characters often engage in discussions quoting Shakespeare or Marcus Aurelius. Coppola incorporates various montages that serve as mini-lectures and scene-setting, providing insights into the world of New Rome (the film’s portrayal of New York City). These montages help establish the setting and offer explanations for why humanity seems to have strayed from its path. Additionally, Shia LaBeouf occasionally appears superimposed over an American flag. While everything in the movie is valid, it isn’t always straightforward, making a brief summary challenging.
The movie starts with Adam Driver portraying Cesar Catilina, who’s the nephew and leader of a future Design Authority, a blend of an urban planner and playboy architect. He precariously stands on a skyscraper and halts time by commanding, “Time, STOP!”. You might question how Cesar obtained this power to pause time or if he’s magical, his origin story, the nature of his Design Authority organization that appears both publicly appointed and secretive. However, these questions aren’t crucial as Coppola is not creating a superhero backstory. Instead, he’s using socio-cultural-political allegory similar to Cloud Atlas.
The wants and aims of Cesar Catilina are twofold: He wants to build a utopia within the city of New Rome, starting with one neighborhood and expanding outward, and he wants to have a great debate. About what? Well, anything, really. Cesar is worried about the future, as he is both rich but sympathetic to the plights of normal people and disdainful of his hedonistic, hyper-wealthy peers. But he only knows how to fix New Rome’s future with a neighborhood that looks like the utopia meme, where the improvements upon society seem to be (1) public parks, (2) moving walkways, and (3) goopy-looking buildings that morph like fast-growing plants. He hopes to realize this vision with a material known as Megalon, which is sustainable and self-recycling and, most importantly, made from the love that Cesar has in his heart for his dead wife (of course), Sunny Hope (yup!).
As a movie enthusiast, I’d rephrase it like this: The obstacles hindering Cesar’s grand aspirations are rooted in the flaws of society – entrenched, self-serving powers-that-be and the reckless caprices of the affluent who thrive under these powerless, longstanding leaders. In New Rome, Mayor Frank Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) is unloved and in debt, refusing to back Cesar’s innovative concept or any novel suggestions. Cesar’s uncle Hamilton Crassus (Jon Voight), who controls the banks, has been preoccupied by his new finance-reporter lover, Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza), who also used to date Cesar. Crassus’s son Clodio (Shia LaBeouf) creates chaos – partying, inciting riots, and doing everything in his power to sabotage his cousin Cesar. Clodio’s sister Clodia (Chloe Fineman) parties excessively and occasionally hooks up with her brother. Crassus is usually accompanied by Nush “The Fixer” Berman (Dustin Hoffman), a rather unscrupulous caricature of the rich, who is swiftly written off in the movie before he can say much more than four things. The wealthy continue to indulge themselves – so does Cesar, using drugs and attending their events, albeit with bitterness – while Coppola portrays the common folk succumbing to episodes of civil unrest, protests, and monotonous grime, huddling around trash fires for heat and comfort.
The mayor’s daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), Clodia’s best friend and Clodio’s maybe-sometimes lover, is taking an early morning car back from the club when she happens to see Cesar do his little “time, STOP” routine. No one seems to be able to see this but her, and this intrigues Julia. She shows up at his work one day, they flirt, they party, they fall in love — quickly, easily. She starts following him to get a better sense of his character. Despite popular belief that Cesar killed his wife, a crime investigated by her father, who was district attorney at the time, Julia learns that Sunny Hope died under self-inflicted circumstances. Okay, phew. Cesar explains to Julia the gist of his “time, STOP” powers: that when art is good, it’s like time stopping — the moment freezes, the memories stay how they are. This is only vaguely connected to his proposed utopia, mostly it’s just something he’s thinking about alongside it. Is building a neighborhood made out of shimmery gold goop a metaphor for a movie? Don’t overthink it.
In some role, Julia commences employment with Cesar. She’s a versatile blend of intern, protege, and publicist, keen on softening his more abrasive traits to make his idealistic methods more appealing to those who control the approval of his projects. The film primarily revolves around Julia’s attempts to persuade her father to allow Cesar to execute his urban renovation plans in a major city. As the old guard recedes, the youthful generation rises; it’s time for individuals with innovative, expansive, and attractive ideas to experiment with something new.
In the sprawling cityscape of Megalopolis, getting sidetracked is effortless due to numerous subplots that seem to revolve more around Francis Ford Coppola’s perceived preoccupations with modern society (misuse of technology, corporate dominance, cancel culture). These detours have a “one more thing…” feel, yet they are entertaining, self-indulgent, and insightful commentaries on the elements Coppola attributes to societal decay. For instance, at the wedding of Crassus and Wow Platinum, an event that is part circus, part carnival, and part concert, a scandal erupts involving New Rome’s equivalent of Britney Spears, Vesta Sweetwater. Her fame hinges on her virginity, which is ironically auctioned off at Crassus and Wow Platinum’s wedding. However, during her performance, a sex tape featuring her with Cesar is broadcast on a giant screen, causing a brief cancelation of Cesar. Later, it is revealed that Clodio fabricated the video as some form of prank or manufactured scandal.
The exact issue between Clodio and Cesar isn’t entirely clear, but it appears to have roots deeper than the events portrayed in the film. While Clodio resents that Julia is now with Cesar, their animosity seems to have started earlier. Clodio comes across as the unsuccessful relative who can’t measure up to Cesar’s reputation, and this is further exacerbated by his father’s apparent preference for Cesar over him. However, trying to correlate the characters with actual Coppola relatives doesn’t seem productive in understanding the family dynamics portrayed in the film.
Following the collapse of his plan to oust Cesar, Clodio adjusts his strategy – simplistic online harassment won’t work this time – and enters the mayoral race instead. He adopts a persona resembling a mix between Trump and a Nazi, appealing to the masses without genuine concern for their wellbeing. His performance is mediocre at best, but he’s not entirely incompetent either. In an attempt to eliminate Cesar, Clodio assigns a child to shoot him, unaware that Cesar possesses a unique metallic, ethereal material that allows him to reconstruct any damaged part of his face. Fortunately for Cesar, the crisis is avoided!
In the story, when Clodio’s aspirations for political power fail, he teams up with Wow Platinum to oust Crassus, with the ultimate goal of managing the bank for their own selfish gains. This self-serving and greedy behavior is critically portrayed by Coppola as a reflection of the shallow ideas that the extremely wealthy often possess beyond accumulating more wealth. The corporate takeover scheme seems to have more substance than the movie suggests, as it’s abruptly introduced in the final 30 minutes. One might wonder why Clodio didn’t attempt this plan before trying to assassinate his cousin. In a heated argument in a sauna, Clodio even asks his father to appoint him as interim CEO of the bank, which leads to what seems like Crassus’ death… but he surprisingly survives. The film then presents one of its most bizarre scenes: Jon Voight, dressed as Robin Hood and bedridden, shooting at both Clodio and Wow Platinum (may they rest in peace) with a crossbow. Remarkably, Clodio endures, having only been hit in the rear.
For a society grappling with corruption and selfishness, what possible way ahead exists? The situation escalates for Julia as she discovers she’s carrying Cesar’s child, adding to her father’s disapproval of Cesar’s fantastical city plans made of changeable, glossy materials. Frank offers Cesar a deal: if he permanently distances himself from Julia, the baby, and their family, Frank will publicly declare that Cesar did not murder his wife. Despite this apparent agreement, Cesar continues to secretly meet with Julia. In the narrative of Megalopolis, significant plot points are sometimes introduced only to skip over crucial steps. One instant, Julia announces her pregnancy; the next, she has a (noticeably fake-looking in long shots) baby.
The city of Megalopolis, in a vague sense, grapples with climate change issues: A satellite plummets from the sky, flattening neighborhoods and structures, resulting in massive fires consuming New Rome. Characters we’ve followed throughout the movie remain largely unscathed, but the citizens of the city continue to grapple with intense discontent. Riots erupt, violence is displayed publicly. During a particularly severe uprising, Frank along with his wife Teresa (Kathryn Hunter), and Julia and her baby, seek refuge in an underground train equipped with comfortable seating. Emerging from the wreckage of the riots, they witness Cesar addressing the city’s people via a colossal Megalon cloud, urging them to engage in debate rather than confrontation. The sight of Adam Driver’s massive visage inspires Frank to reconsider his stance, and he permits Julia to be with Cesar permanently. He also observes Teresa enjoying herself on Cesar’s moving walkways — she seems to adore it as much as an airport! — and the evident joy in his wife’s eyes appears to thaw Frank towards Cesar’s vision for Megalopolis.
In the movie, what’s fascinating is that Cesar seems to be delivering a speech from within Megalopolis, a place we thought he couldn’t reach. Could it be that he was speaking there all along? The origin of Megalopolis as depicted in the film seems irrelevant, and the creators (Cesar and Coppola) have already worked out the details for us. By the end of the movie, Megalopolis is established and Cesar’s utopia has largely resolved society’s problems. The masses are quieted without explicit explanation; there’s no discussion about socialism or welfare in this film. Instead, Cesar and by extension Coppola envision a future where everything sparkles, children can create art and play freely, and most crucially, love uninhibitedly. Soon enough, the corrupt politicians like Mayor Cicero and Cesar Catilina will be replaced, leaving the powerful men of our time to fade away.
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2024-09-27 20:55