“Megalopolis” celebrates North American premiere at TIFF

When a film has a legendary name like Francis Ford Coppola attached to it, you know it’s going to be a big deal. But what you might not realize is that you have to brace yourself for his new film. Big city Film, especially if you mentally stick to his famous directing style in The Godfather I and IIor Apocalypse now — and if not, you might be in for a shock when you see this film.

In fact, it is as if Coppola is channeling his inner child while watching this film and playing in the proverbial sandbox: He has all these fun toys and with Godhe will play with each and every one of them. This gives the film an unconventional aesthetic – a bit like a tapestry of artistic curiosities stitched together. During the cast Q&A at the film’s North American premiere, Coppola said: “I put everything I’ve ever loved and everything I’ve ever seen in my life into this film,” jokingly noting that he “stole” inspiration from other greats like director Federico Fellini and put it all into Big city – and the film certainly feels that way – what Coppola describes as a “Roman epic” is avant-garde with its fantastic cinematography and narrative.

The premise of Big city It centers on Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a visionary architect who invents “Megalon” – a building material that can be manipulated in any way imaginable. Its power is so great that its owner can control time and space. The government approves Catilina’s request to use this material for a new construction project, aptly named Megalopolis. However, part of New Rome (where they all live and which visually looks like a link between New York City and the Roman Empire – and mixed with flourishes of futuristic dreamscapes) must be demolished to make room for this new venture. The city’s mayor, Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), is vehemently opposed to this project and tries to protest what he considers a disturbing and newfangled idea. But things get even more complicated when Cicero’s daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) falls in love with Catilina.

This is the central plot of the story – but other storylines are woven into it, including controversial political issues and intrigue, science fiction explorations into another world, love triangles and ill-fated lovers.

With a story told on such a theatrical and mythical level, the costumes naturally reflect the ethos of the film. Coppola brought in another legend: Milena Canonero – a four-time Oscar winner who has worked with the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Wes Anderson.

To enrich the visual storytelling, Canonero combines the typical aesthetics of the Roaring Twenties and Wall Street with those of ancient Rome and Greece. And while this can seem jarring at first, it somehow (and sometimes) works. For example, the men who work in government offices wear ash-colored three-piece suits (similar to the meticulous tailoring seen at Jay in The Great Gatsby), but the vest is modified because it is full of elaborate draping to recall the members of the Senate of ancient Rome who wore polished togas. To complete the hybrid look, they wear fedoras. In everyday clothing, the tones of the upper class tend to stay in the color palettes of burgundy, gray and black.

Meanwhile, women of elite society wear modified stoles – for example, when you first saw Canonero and Catilina interacting, the latter was wearing a red, sleeveless midi dress with a boat neck and draping at the front that reached to her knees. It’s business attire, but the small but impactful changes reflect the fantastical country we’re immersed in.

The costumes also frequently veer between subtlety and over-stimulation. It can honestly feel a little disjointed (especially if you’re watching this for the first time), but perhaps that’s a conscious decision. It’s as if Canonero is also joining in with Coppola’s sandbox shenanigans and just having fun with the project – without taking it too seriously. There’s a parade scene where Cicero marches alongside police officers and fellow politicians – the suits have green olive branches on the lapels, while the lawmen wear black shirts, black pants, and ornate holsters/vests. The thing is, these garments feel almost satirical and fairytale-like… perhaps another subconscious reminder that this isn’t our real-world world, even though it looked like they could be marching in Manhattan.

The wedding scene is also over-the-top, complete with circus acts, virgin bids, and gladiator-style World Wrestling Entertainment-style fights. The regal glittery golds accentuate the royal affair—but again, the clothes are altered to suggest we’re not in ancient Rome or a futuristic version of New York, but somewhere in between. So some of the women wear Y2K-style Grecian dresses with laurel crowns that feel like they could be bought in the store. Turn Website.

Finally, the costume selection for Big city I can only echo the sentiments of this film – Coppola is unabashedly bold and audacious. Audiences will find this film very divisive, to say the least. So if you’re going to see it, buckle up, venture into the shimmering, unknown light – and appreciate Coppola’s courage in taking the art form of cinema to new heights.