Atropia

4/4/2025

There is way too much going on in Hailey Gates’s “Atropia,” from its desire to be a biting satire of the film industry, its take on the military-industrial complex, and the blurred lines between performance and reality. Despite an interesting premise, it stumbles under the weight of its own ambition, delivering a smug, exhausting experience that tries too hard to be clever without ever earning it. Aspiring actress Fayruz (Alia Shawkat), finds herself cast as the star of a bizarre military role-playing facility designed to train soldiers in simulated combat. When soldier-turned-insurgent-for-hire actor Abu Dice (Callum Turner) arrives, sparks fly. The unscripted romance between Fayruz and Abu threatens to disrupt the immersive war games. On paper, it sounds like a sharp and surreal se