With Wes Anderson’s newest movie The Phoenician Scheme hitting theaters there has been a lot of questions about his directing style. Wes Anderson has created a lot of films that most would consider a staple in the film industry such as Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel however, after the release of asteroid city many people are confused on his directing style.

Many of his films come off as “uneventful” to some and the reason for this is that Wes Anderson likes to focus more on letting tone and color tell the story. Wes Anderson’s characters show their emotion through facial expressions and tone in their voice and they let that justify their actions. In many movies you will hear downcast music playing along with a scene to show what the mood is in the moment. However, Anderson likes to leave that all up to the characters and their tone of voice showcases the emotions given in that moment rather than a montage of characters crying to a depressing song.

He uses this to create many plot twists because the tone of these characters will suddenly change and you will not expect it due to the lack of elaboration behind every action. In other words he lets the expressions do the talking. He makes his films to where one sharp look to the right or a simple pause whilst drinking coffee can symbolize a number of things while other directors create suspense by holding information from the audience. Wes Anderson is known for his subtle easter eggs in his movies and his gift for delivering a good plot using things like suspense, tone, camera movements, and especially vibrant colors.

Works Cited

Lannom, SC. “Wes Anderson’s Visual Style Explained [Filmmaker Essentials].” StudioBinder, 25 Apr. 2021, www.studiobinder.com/blog/wes-anderson-style/.

Nast, Condé. “Wes Anderson.” The New Yorker, 2023, www.newyorker.com/tag/wes-anderson. Accessed 1 July 2025.