Action thriller One Battle After Another dominates Bafta nominations
The film leads with 14 nods.
Action thriller One Battle After Another dominates the Bafta nominations, with 14 nods, and is the frontrunner for a string of Oscars.
The film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, has been hailed as a modern masterpiece by critics – and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed-up revolutionary.
Loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson – a paranoid former radical living off-grid in California – who embarks on a frantic quest to find his missing daughter Willa, played by Chase Infiniti.
The film shows Bob’s young life as a part of heavily armed activist cell that attacks migrant holding prisons on the Mexican border, alongside his partner Perfidia Beverly Hills, played by Teyana Taylor.
It is during one of these attacks that Perfidia captures and humiliates white supremacist military leader Col Steven Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn, prompting a vendetta that will haunt Bob and Willa for years.
Fast forward 16 years, and with Perfidia out of the picture, Willa is a martial arts pupil, taking lessons from a sensei played by Benicio Del Toro, who shields and aids the undocumented Mexicans from being persecuted by the authorities.
But when Lockjaw come in pursuit of Willa, Bob must scramble to find her as both father and daughter face the consequences of the past.
While the film does not specifically mention the Maga movement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) or Donald Trump, it is overt in its political commentary.
DiCaprio is nominated for best actor at the Baftas alongside Infiniti for best actress – despite her being snubbed by the Oscars.
Meanwhile Taylor has received a nod for best supporting actress, while both Penn and Del Toro are nominated for best supporting actor.
The film – which is written, produced and directed by Anderson – is also nominated for best film, adapted screenplay, casting, cinematography, editing, original score, production design and sound.
The Baftas will be presented on February 22 at the Royal Festival Hall.
