Reel review: The Phoenician Scheme

Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is as much a return to form as it is a quiet deviation. While the symmetry, deadpan delivery, and pastel dreamscapes remain intact, the emotional register hits deeper than expected. Set in a fictional North African nation on the brink of both collapse and reinvention, the story follows Anatole “Zsa-Zsa” Korda (Benicio Del Toro), a weary industrialist dodging death, legacy, and the weight of his own past.

After several failed attempts on his life, Korda brings his estranged daughter (Mia Threapleton) back into his orbit—not to reconnect, but to groom her as his reluctant successor. She’s a novice nun with no interest in empires, and their uneasy dynamic drives much of the film’s quiet intensity. There are moments of levity—Michael Cera shows up as a beetle-obsessed Norwegian, of course—but they’re outnumbered by scenes that feel more meditative than quirky.

This isn’t one of Anderson’s breezier efforts. The pacing drifts. Not everything clicks. But there’s something sharper, even sadder, underneath the usual whimsy—something that lingers longer than his usual punchlines.

Mitten’s Verdict: A bittersweet, oddball reflection on legacy and regret. Rated: 6.3 out of 10.