Wes Anderson has made a grand splash at Cannes 2025, and this time, his ornate visuals and deadpan humour are brought to light with The Phoenician Scheme, an espionage black comedy which IMDB describes as a story about a family and family business. But if Anderson’s previous stories are to be believed, there’s a LOT more here than this one sentence!
The film is all set to bring something that is both familiar and new, and will subvert all expectations if early reviews are to be believed. It’s a sharp-edged black comedy film that is as much about personal guilt and global greed as it is about the quirky, mesmerising aesthetics.
The Phoenician Scheme: The Story
Diving a little deep from that one line, The Phoenician Scheme is set in a fictional Middle Eastern coastal state during the 1950s. It follows wealthy businessman Zsa-Zsa Korda, whose flamboyance and ethics concerns go hand-in-hand and define his public image. Korda hatches a demented plan of controlling the country’s mining, transport and fishing sectors in such a way that it derails the economy and causes a famine. In the middle of this absurdity is his daughter Liesl, a nun, who finds herself questioning herself as she is forced to choose between her devotion and her father’s legacy when she becomes the heir.
Family tensions and political manoeuvrings clash in this surreal and visually stunning film that screams “Wes Anderson” like never before.
The Phoenician Scheme: The Characters
Not only are the storyline and the visuals striking, but so is the cast. The film boasts an ensemble cast comprising Benicio del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda and up-and-coming star Mia Threapleton as Sister Liesl, along with Michael Cera playing Bjorn Lund, the family’s Norwegian tutor with feelings for Liesl. Scarlett Johansson appears as Cousin Hilda, while Benedict Cumberbatch plays a Rasputin-like mystic uncle named Nubar. Rupert Friend enters as a hapless American diplomat, and Bill Murray, in a memorable cameo, appears as a vision of God who confronts Korda in moments of crisis.
Most of the performances, as expected, are a blend of restraint and eccentricity and will make the film hilariously confusing. However, it is Threapleton who delivers a performance that stands out from the rest. According to critics, she lends emotional gravity to a film that sometimes risks getting lost in its own stylisation.
Visuals, Tones and Themes
As mentioned previously, Anderson’s signature aesthetics scream out from every frame and performance, from pastel-colored mosques to symmetrical port cities. A vibrant action sequence greets us as the film opens and sets a playful and uneasy tone for the rest of the runtime. It’s definitely memorable and, again, different and familiar at the same time.
The costume and set design remain impeccable, bordering on theatrical, with layers of irony and historical absurdity baked into every frame. However, the extreme eye for detail does come at the expense of a deeper emotional engagement, according to critics, which may hamper the watchability and the connection that audiences might’ve enjoyed.
What sets The Phoenician Scheme apart from Anderson’s recent works is its exploration of power, colonial ambition, and moral compromise. Though often humorous, the film delves into heavy territory: corporate exploitation, familial trauma, and questions of divine judgment. Korda is haunted not just by business rivals but by guilt, visions, and philosophical questions that feel surprisingly weighty under the film’s polished surface.
The story doesn’t unravel with a clean arc; instead, it’s fragmented, told in chapters, and often leaning into surrealism. There are religious hallucinations, cryptic family feuds, and even an impromptu underwater opera scene. It’s unmistakably Anderson—but more introspective and melancholy than most fans might expect.
The Phoenician Scheme is a strange, satirical and visually stunning watch that might not be Anderson’s most accessible film, but is definitely one of his most layered ones. The fantastic cast is a plus, as are the moral dilemmas that Zsa-zsa Korda is forced to confront throughout the runtime of the film. All in all, Wes Anderson is always a treat, but one might question how far is too far sometimes!
Are you excited to watch The Phoenician Scheme in theatres on May 30, 2025? Let us know in the comments below!
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