Paying homage to the independent theatre companies of the 1930s and ’40s, such as Orson Welles’s Mercury Theatre, and ’50s American sci-fi cinema, Wes Anderson’s new film presents an imagined version of Asteroid City, the new work from esteemed playwright Cole Earp (Edward Norton).

The play centres on recently widowed father Augie (Jason Schwartzman), who is bringing his children to visit their maternal grandfather (Tom Hanks) via the titular desert town, where eldest son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) will participate in an event for gifted young scientists. Augie bonds with fellow parent and famed actor Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) just as Woodrow bonds with her daughter, before the event is derailed by the arrival of a strange visitor. Meanwhile, interludes give glimpses of the play’s gestation and production. The film’s appropriately stellar cast includes cameos from Matt Dillon, Margot Robbie, Hope Davis, and Tilda Swinton.

Notes by Kevin Coyne.