THE STORY – 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.
THE CAST – Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Chloë Sevigny & Tim Heidecker
THE TEAM – Hailey Gates (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 104 Minutes
Hailey Gates’ “Atropia” is quite the odd film. But that shouldn’t be taken as a negative! From the opening moments, there’s a strange aura permeating off the screen. It can be felt in both the performances and the location. All by design, Gates quickly throws her audience off-kilter in order to brace us for the tone and structure of her film. Nothing in “Atropia” is as it seems, and despite the film confronting common anti-war sentiments, this film is unlike many of its counterparts in the category. The best way to grasp the tone of this film is by looking at the quote which it opens with: “War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” Despite being attributed to 1800s author Ambrose Bierce, this feels like quite the timely statement. And much like the film that follows, this feels provoking but also quite humorous in a satirical fashion. Much of “Atropia” is conveyed through a tongue-in-cheek manner, so this quote and subsequent intro perfectly sets the scene.
For all the money that the U.S. government has thrown at Atropia, it’s still very much a shell. And that feels absolutely intentional on the part of Gates and her production design team. Atropia was built within the confines of a massive stretch of land in the California desert known as “The Box.” It’s got a single purpose in the eyes of those in charge (a perfectly cast Tim Heidecker and Chloë Sevigny): to provide a 24/7 simulation of Iraq so that the troops-in-training going overseas can be prepared for everything. To everybody else on the ground though, Atropia represents something much different. For Fayruz (Alia Shawkat), it’s a dead-end job as a struggling actor. Though she does frequently use the opportunity to flex her acting chops in the hopes of being noticed and plucked from obscurity. For Abu Dice (Callum Turner), it’s his opportunity to train the next wave of soldiers after returning from his boots-on-the-ground tour. For the group of incoming trainees, they’re not really sure what to make of it. They have all the enthusiasm of young children being forced to a sleepaway summer camp by their parents. Within each of these characters or groups, a complete mockery is being made. Like so many anti-war satires, this film blatantly depicts the notion that everything, both the simulations and the actual invasion of Iraq, is one big show.
Feeling like it’s pulled straight out of Starship Troopers, Gates includes a ridiculous training video in her film to triple down on the tone she’s aiming for. The odd sense of humor may lessen the overall drama and messaging by the finale of “Atropia”, but it’s admittedly a very fun film. It never shies away from an opportunity to mock the ridiculousness present in the actions of military personnel. The group of trainees coming to Atropia are represented as completely childish. Leaning on hazing rituals that could be found in absurd frat comedies or emphasizing the homophobic, xenophobic, and toxically masculine characteristics paints a frightening picture. But Gates also goes quite far as to show that, although inexcusable, these trainees are either completely broken or childishly unqualified. One young soldier outright states with sadness in his voice that he “just wants to go to college.” Even with all the humor Gates injects into her film, she recognizes the inherent sadness of the circumstances surrounding all these individuals. One only needs to look at how she writes Abu Dice to see this.
Turner gives a wildly committed performance. It’s often satirical with broad brush strokes, but he equally carries the gravitas necessary for his emotional beats. Gates also makes a really exciting choice that speaks to the great potential present in her directorial style. As Dice becomes more fleshed out beyond his jingoistic machismo, you can start to sense the internal dilemma he’s facing. Whenever confronted with a reflection of his actions during his tour in Iraq, Gates intercuts what appears to be real footage from soldiers in 2006. If it’s indeed genuine, it’s an incredible filmmaking choice. The stark contrast in quality and style brings forth an emotional beat that’s deeply felt. We’re seeing a shattered man reckon with whether or not his life was wasted and is now irreparable. As he and Fayruz develop their relationship in quite the comedic fashion, Fayruz’ frustrations mount further and further. In the film, so much is presented as a game or simply part of the simulation. But there are real-world consequences to everything occurring in the fake country of Atropia.
“Atropia” was initially conceived by Gates as a documentary exploring the real-world villages created by the U.S. after 9/11. As such, so much of the setting we see (which is baffling and ridiculous to be intentionally played for laughs) is pulled directly from research and resources Gates compiled while prepping her documentary. It’s no surprise upon seeing her satirical spin on these actual resources that the Department of Defense denied her original request to be granted access for documentary purposes. The reason seems to be simple as “Atropia” comes to a close. This place doesn’t seem to be completely interested in preparing soldiers for war. Instead, it forces some to confront the heinous actions they’ll be committing overseas, while it attempts to normalize the same actions in the mind of others. At one point in the film, Heidecker’s character is told that “these boys will never be ready.” In a surprising turn, he agrees with the sentiment. Shortly after the discussion, while still mulling over what to do next, he spills soy sauce while preparing to eat his sushi. It’s perfectly performed by Heidecker. And it’s in that moment, where he decides to send the soldiers overseas anyway, that it all becomes clear. He’s not merely the aloof superior officer that we assumed from seeing who was cast in the role. He simply doesn’t care. At the end of the day, he’ll still be sitting in a private office in Atropia, playing with these troops as if they’re all characters cast in one major theater production.
