Given the not-terribly-uplifting streak of episodes we've had lately, we thought it was time for a Know Your Enemy movie night, and were joined by the podcast's intrepid producer, Jesse Brenneman, for a conversation about Paul Thomas Anderson's 2025 film, One Battle After Another. Its tagline—"When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own"—suggests why all three of us absolutely loved it. We discuss: the film's relationship to the contemporary United States, and what it might reveal about our political situation; how it portrays both the left and the right; the family drama at the heart of the film, and the connection between origin and identity, personally and politically; the way Ronald Reagan haunts a surprising number of its scenes; and more!

Spoiler alert: we offer a quick plot summary for those who haven't (yet!) seen One Battle After Another, but that does mean certain surprises will be spoiled for you.

Sources:

Sam Adler-Bell, "The Fantasy of Assassination Culture," New York Magazine, Nov 1, 2025

Armond White, "There Will Be Bloodlust in One Battle After Another," National Review, Sept 26, 2025

Richard Brody, "The Real Battle of 'One Battle After Another,'" New Yorker, Oct 7, 2025

...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters #1307

The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters

Purity, resentment and the Soviet parallels

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