With The French Dispatch US release date continuously being pushed back, 2020 marked another year without the release of a Wes Anderson movie. Nonetheless, 2020 proved to still be a year of stunning aesthetics, each embracing original hues. Here are movies of the past year that stand out by having wonderfully conspicuous color palettes:
1. Birds of Prey
The bold neons used in the incredibly underrated superhero masterpiece Birds of Prey contribute to the audaciousness and whimsicality of the film.
2. Emma. (2020)
Think of a world dominated by pastel pinks and blues, as well as the occasional bright yellow. This world is captured in each shot of the 2020 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.
3. Promising Young Woman
This Oscar-winning film is not only impeccably written and performed — it also has very enticing visuals that serve a higher function. Indeed, the film’s dreamy pink layers build up a rom-com allusion that the movie then subverts and reclaims entirely.
These three films — all directed by women — not only give their audiences a pleasing image shot after shot; they also bring femininity into their films’ aesthetic in a way that is both natural and innovative, trusting their audiences to know that a film covered in pink is still worthy of respect. These filmmakers are not copying the iconic color palettes of Wes Anderson; rather, they are admirably creating their own.