Frenesy Film
Paradise City
Not part of a collection.
Atropia
The story of a real fake place.
When an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance.
- Original title
- Atropia
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
Apr 4, 2025 · via TMDB
There is way too much going on in Hailey Gates’s “Atropia,” from its desire to be a biting satire of the film industry, its take on the military-industrial complex, and the blurred lines between performance and reality. Despite an interesting premise, it stumbles under the weight of its own ambition, delivering a smug, exhausting experience that tries too hard to be clever without ever earning it. Aspiring actress Fayruz (Alia Shawkat), finds herself cast as the star of a bizarre military role-playing facility designed to train soldiers in simulated combat. When soldier-turned-insurgent-for-hire actor Abu Dice (Callum Turner) arrives, sparks fly. The unscripted romance between Fayruz and Abu threatens to disrupt the immersive war games. On paper, it sounds like a sharp and surreal setting ripe for commentary, but the film doesn’t stick the landing. The script is based on real U.S. military training facilities (the most interesting thing about the film is that these fake countries and jobs for actors actually do exist), but the jumbled narrative causes severe tonal whiplash. The darkly funny satirical elements sometimes work but mostly don’t, and the sweeping romance undermines any meaningful critique. Even worse, everything comes across as scattered and self-satisfied, often talking down to its audience with smug inside jokes that rarely land. Despite the film’s attempts to be fresh and original, “Atropia” ends up feeling bloated and tiresome. With sharper editing and a tighter focus, it might have found its voice. What a shame that the film is too enamored with its own cleverness to notice how off-putting it becomes. By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
Alia Shawkat
Fayruz
Zahra Alzubaidi
Noor
Callum Turner
Abu Dice
Toby Nichols
Private Pardo
Gil Perez-Abraham
Private Wyatt
June Carryl
Coco (aka Conrad)
Shaholly Ayers
Maria
Tim Blake Nelson
Mr. Speaker (voice)
Dash Melrose
Private Freeburn
Gilberto Ortiz
Private iPod
Charlet Duboc
Female Narrator
Jamie McShane
Segall
Jane Levy
Nancy
Priscilla Garita
Gloria
Tim Heidecker
Hayden
Chloë Sevigny
Pina
Sal Lopez
Jerry Jiminez
Channing Tatum
The Actor
Phil Burgers
Lackey
Mousa Kraish
Ray
Richard Blackmon
Rudy
Chloe East
Medic Grimes
Lola Kirke
Candy
Chris Becerra
Private Antrim (uncredited)
Hailey Benton Gates
Control Room Operator (uncredited)
Sebastian Pardo
Title Designer
Eric K. Yue
Director of Photography
Allie Shehorn
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Casey Adams
Stunt Coordinator
Erik Schultz
Stunt Double
Hannah Betts
Stunt Double
Clay Cullen
Stunt Driver
Adam Newport-Berra
Thanks
Antonio Campos
Thanks
Brady Corbet
Thanks
Daniel Blumberg
Thanks
Daniel Lopatin
Thanks
Eugene Kotlyarenko
Thanks
Mona Fastvold
Thanks
Sebastián Silva
Thanks
Zoë Kravitz
Thanks
Hailey Benton Gates
Director
Madeleine Gavin
Editor
Callum Turner
Associate Producer
Alia Shawkat
Executive Producer
David Siegel
Executive Producer
Hailey Benton Gates
Executive Producer
Scott McGehee
Executive Producer
Emilie Georges
Producer
Luca Guadagnino
Producer
Ruslan Shebystyi
Foley Artist
Oleksii Kameniuka
Foley Editor
Andrii Starykovskyi
Foley Mixer
Ari Balouzian
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Robert Ames
Original Music Composer
Hailey Benton Gates
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