Leonardo DiCaprio as a tormented revolutionary in One Battle at a Time

Leonardo DiCaprio's first role under Paul Thomas Anderson's direction, One Battle at a Time, has unveiled a trailer as explosive as it is enigmatic. The film, inspired by Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, will be released in France on September 24.

A father on a quest in post-hippie America

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson, a disheveled ex-revolutionary from the 1970s who embarks on a desperate quest to find his missing daughter. The film, loosely based on Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland, is set in a California mired in political disillusionment and post-protest paranoia. In the trailer released by Warner Bros., the actor yells "Viva la revolución!", jumps out of a moving pickup truck, and navigates shootouts and hallucinatory scenes in what promises to be a mix of political satire and existential thriller.

Paul Thomas Anderson, master of the fragmented narrative (There Will Be Blood, The Master, Licorice Pizza), signs his biggest project to date with an estimated budget of over $100 million. The film was shot on 35mm Vistavision cameras, between California and Texas, for a high-fidelity vintage aesthetic. On the soundtrack, Jonny Greenwood, a longtime PTA collaborator, delivers an electrifying score with psychedelic rock overtones.

A rich cast and a highly anticipated release

DiCaprio is joined by an impressive cast: Benicio del Toro as the mentor, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Shayna McHayle (aka Junglepussy), and Alana Haim, previously seen in Licorice Pizza. The dynamic between DiCaprio and Del Toro promises sparks, in a deliberately opaque plot, but where themes of fatherhood, ideological legacy, and inner chaos seem to dominate.

The collaboration between DiCaprio and Anderson, two major figures in American cinema, was highly anticipated. Rumor has it that PTA contributed his writing to Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, strengthening their artistic bond. For One Battle at a Time, Anderson opted not to provide an official synopsis, leaving the powerful and frenetic visuals to establish the mystery.

Expected in the United States on September 26 and in France two days earlier, the film is already shaping up to be a serious contender for awards season. Part portrait of a man in disarray, part political epic, One Battle at a Time could well mark a new milestone in DiCaprio's career—and in Anderson's.