Magnolia

The film is made up of several vignettes, each showing us a fragment of someone’s life. More often than not, these are far from the best moments for the characters. All of them live in the same neighborhood, which gives the movie its title: Magnolia.

It’s almost impossible to sum up the film in just a few words. With so many stories at hand, Anderson could have made a dozen separate films. Instead, he created one, where all the narratives are oddly and randomly intertwined—just like everything in life. People lie, suffer, cheat, love. They refuse to forgive their parents—even those on their deathbeds. They search for their mistakes, find them, try to make amends. They discover that they will die. They’re afraid to open up to others. They ruin their children’s lives. They try to forget the past, but the past refuses to forget them. Some die, some go on living.

Anderson himself considers Magnolia the best of his films. Interestingly, he wrote the screenplay in just two weeks, too afraid to leave the guest house he was staying in after spotting a snake outside.

 Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (Tom Cruise).