Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541514
8 0 P E R S P E C T I V E I N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 One Battle After Another is the story of a father, ex-revolutionary Bob, on a quest to find and bring home his daughter, Willa. His journey begins sixteen years prior as a revolutionary, jumping to the redwoods, then follows him through fractured urban cities and rural sanctuaries, culminating in the wide-open desert. At its core, it is a family story—but also about what happens when you step outside the safety of your world and confront the enormity of the one around you, where past and present collide. Our guiding principle with director Paul Thomas Anderson was the present. Every decision was grounded in the immediacy of the characters' lives: Where are they going? How did they get here? Research came from books, documentaries, videos, oral histories and field work with local communities and experts. The goal was not to impose a design, but to let the world—in all its texture and imperfection—shape the story. Cold-scouting began in 2022 in Eureka and, over two and a half years, built the film from the redwoods to the borderlands—a tapestry of California. Producer and first AD Adam Somner guided us through a schedule and logistics that ran through nine city hubs and two states. I had the privilege of collaborating with Supervising Art Director Andrew Max Cahn, who led the Los Angeles team, budget and schedule with steadfast support. The other half of the department traveled with me or worked ahead, jumping to upcoming cities. Making the film A W o r l d o f B e a u t y a n d G r i t O N E B A T T L E A F T E R A N O T H E R B Y F L O R E N C I A M A R T I N , P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R A. FRENCH 75'S RAID ON THE DETENTION CENTER. PRODUCTION STILL. A