The French Dispatch(2021)

Submitted by Jeremy

The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun is a magazine publication that is set to publish its final issue following the death of its editor-in-chief, Arthur Howitzer Jr. The film is a depiction of the articles presented in the issue.

• The first story is about imprisoned artist Moses Rosenthaler, who is mentally disturbed but gifted with a paintbrush. He is in a sexual relationship with a guard, Simone, who is also his muse. An art dealer/inmate, Julian Cadazio, likes Moses’s work and gets him to become famous in the art world outside of prison. After Moses is freed from prison, he maintains contact with Simone until his death.
• The second story follows journalist Lucinda Krementz documenting a group of student revolutionaries, led by a young man named Zeffirelli. After Lucinda convinces Zeffirelli and a young woman named Juliette to enjoy their youth instead of being involved in violent conflicts, the two start a relationship that ends when Zeffirelli is electrocuted to death, but he becomes an icon of the revolution.
• The third story is from a journalist named Roebuck Wright, who became involved in a rescue operation when the police commissioner’s son Gigi is kidnapped by criminals. They send the commissioner’s chef, a highly-skilled former detective named Nescaffier, to prepare a poison for the criminals to eat before rescuing Gigi. After a wild car chase, the boy is rescued and the criminals are killed.

The Dispatch’s staff mourns Howitzer and prepares the final issue.