Oh To Be Young: How Wes Anderson's Characters Make Us Better

 If there’s one thing I can say about my life up to this point, it’s that I wish my successes could be as spectacular as the failures of Max Fischer. 

Anderson’s films, in a way, reflect my personal shortcomings. His work features protagonists that are flat and impersonal- they are burnt-out failures who just happen to fail in a larger-than-life way.

Anderson’s films also tend to center on young adults, those who have a delusional idea of what an adult should act like. They act in irrational and faux-mature ways to achieve their intended goals, which of course become failures. Max Fischer engages in increasingly farcical acts of retaliation against Herman Blume. Margot Tenenbaum, feeling insecure about her past, partakes in increasingly risky acts. Anderson is able to accurately portray what it is to be a young adult in a fantastical way that is grander than the protagonist themself.

Anderson’s works also evoke the idea that the struggles of being an adolescent should not be shunned by society- that it is perfectly okay to be a young person with emotions and conflicts, and that those conflicts should be celebrated. Films always affect the audience watching, so promoting a theme subconsciously to the audience is a good way to change culture. 

Another thing I admire about Anderson is his ability to extract fantasy from reality. His movies are based off events occurring in his life, mainly in his childhood. I firmly believe that the best art is based in reality, and Anderson is certainly no exception. The central conflict in his movies is often between his young protagonists and older people, further outlining how Anderson understands interpersonal relationships and how they are viewed and acted upon by young adults. 

At the end of the day, Anderson’s work is something I enjoy because I relate to the flaws presented in his characters. While their stories make for an interesting plotline, the shortfalls they represent serve as a reminder for me to be a filmmaker that can effectively use her shortcomings to fuel the power and inspiration behind her work.