Nuns, militants: Wes Anderson’s Middle East in Phoenician Scheme

Wes Anderson is back – and he’s bringing with him a fictional Middle Eastern state, vintage maps, a bearded 1970s militant, and a nun named Liesl.

‘The Phoenician Scheme’, Anderson’s first feature film since 2023’s Asteroid City, is already generating online frenzy following the trailer drop on Monday.

The film is set to hit cinemas on 30 May, likely following its debut at Cannes, and it is Anderson’s first project since he finally clinched his long-awaited Oscar in 2024 for The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar.

But it’s not just awards season buzz or the A-list cast – including Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, and Anderson regulars like Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, and Benedict Cumberbatch – that has people talking.

It’s the trailer’s unmistakable Middle Eastern flair and the cryptic, fictional world Anderson has built around something called the “Modern Independent State of Phoenicia”.

“The title made me think immediately of Lebanon,” wrote one Reddit user, “but the trailer was not helpful.”

In true Anderson fashion, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ unfolds in a meticulously stylised alternate reality. A New Year’s banner reading “Happy 1949” flashes onscreen – a date echoing the end of the first Arab-Israeli war.

A nonsense map shows a country bordering “The Valley of Nebuchadnezzar” and “The Gulf of Methuselah”. There’s even a stereotypical 1970s-era leftist militant, a clear nod to the political chaos of that decade – and a likely wink at Cold War spy thrillers and maybe even Tintin’s Kingdom of Khemed.

“It looks like a Middle East that never was,” another Redditor wrote. “This might be exactly what he’s going for.”

The film stars Benicio del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, a wealthy, enigmatic magnate. His daughter Liesl (played by Mia Threapleton, daughter of Kate Winslet) is – naturally – a nun. Michael Cera plays their tutor Bjorn.

The cast also features Riz Ahmed, marking his first time in an Anderson film – a detail not lost on those noting the film’s apparent Arab-inspired setting.

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Anderson wrote, directed, and produced the film, collaborating once again with Roman Coppola, his long-time co-conspirator.

Still, some viewers are asking deeper questions: Is Anderson drawing on the Levantine past to comment on today’s politics? Is this a fantasy Middle East rendered safely fictional – or is it dancing on the edge of Orientalist nostalgia?

The Phoenicians were an ancient seafaring civilisation based in the region of modern-day Lebanon and Syria, whose influence once stretched across the Mediterranean, making the film’s title a loaded reference point for any story set in a stylised Middle Eastern landscape.

And will Lebanon –  a country often linked with the ancient Phoenicians – actually feature in the story?

“I don’t think Wes Anderson movies are supposed to take place on our Earth,” a Reddit user noted. “Let alone Lebanon.”

Adding to the speculation is the fact that Anderson’s wife, Juman Malouf, is of Lebanese descent, making some fans wonder if there’s a personal layer to this whimsical geopolitical satire.

The Phoenician Scheme delivers all the Anderson trademarks – stylised sets, offbeat dialogue, and perfect symmetry – but this time, they’re in service of something weightier: a fictional Middle East that raises questions about history, power, and who gets to shape the narrative.