The cinema of Wes Anderson is synonymous with a specific set of visual characteristics. A true aesthete, the filmmaker's onscreen landscapes are just as crucial as the narratives themselves. In each Anderson creation, French Baroque architecture comes caked in pastel hues; ornate train carriages are bathed in patterned reds; actors are dressed in sublime outfits that reflect the modernist walls and antique sofas. And each shot is taken with perfect symmetry, gazing straight at the audience.
The picturesque, storybook world of Anderson, from 1996's Bottle Rocket to 2021's The French Dispatch, has been a fixture of digital culture for decades now. A once-active Tumblr, Wes Anderson Palettes(opens in a new tab), was dedicated to his keen eye for color. Then there's Accidentally Wes Anderson(opens in a new tab), a platform first conceived on Instagram which has developed into an impassioned community dedicated to examining the world through Anderson's lens.
Enter TikTok, where #wesanderson(opens in a new tab) has 554.7 million views and counting. Lately, creatives have found inspiration in the Anderson aesthetic while being the star of their own film, posting self-shot videos mimicking the director's instantly recognisable visual style, long made iconic with the help of cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman.
Mostly set to the tune of "Obituary"(opens in a new tab), from the original score for The French Dispatch by award-winning composer and longtime Anderson collaborator(opens in a new tab) Alexandre Desplat, the TikTok videos are an attempt to live out the sublime, color-stricken dream depicted in the likes of Dispatch, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Videos begin with a tongue-in-cheek prompt, along the lines of: "Please don't act like you're in a Wes Anderson movie today."
The endeavour is TikTok at its true creative peak. Creators are applying the aesthetic to vlogs across Anderson-esque locations like Paris(opens in a new tab) and train stations(opens in a new tab), and to the everyday in their own homes (think: Sunday morning routines(opens in a new tab), lunch(opens in a new tab)). Other locations span Starbucks(opens in a new tab), Boston's Red Line(opens in a new tab), and a wood shop(opens in a new tab). Some even include details down to Anderson's quintessential time-stamps and fonts, which define so many of his narratives.
"Every movie with Wes is a life adventure," Anderson's longtime cinematographer Yeoman told Vice.(opens in a new tab)
It's no wonder Anderson's films speak to the TikTok community. For creators, this is another chance to find beauty in the mundane, a goal basically embedded in the app's DNA. Anderson's repertoire consistently offers freshness and fantasy, not only glorifying the everyday but actually seeking the artistry in it. Marry that with TikTok's affinity for romanticizing daily life, and you've got a trend you can't look away from.
