"Wes Anderson is one of the most recognisable filmmakers working today—and not just visually. Yes, the symmetrical frames, pastel palettes, and meticulous production design have become meme-worthy trademarks. But Anderson's style is more than aesthetic window dressing. Underneath the dioramas and dollhouses lies something much harder to fake: a persistent emotional ache, perhaps more obvious amongst his earlier output. His films are about isolation and grief, about people building intricate facades to hold back the chaos of the real world.
With The Phoenician Scheme now added to his canon, it's time to take stock. This is a subjective ranking of Anderson's thirteen major narrative films—not based solely on craft (he's rarely made a poorly made film), but on how fully they embody his ability to fuse control with chaos, style with soul."
