Though the term “war movie” may evoke one-note images of guns, blood, and battlefields, in actuality, it’s a rather eclectic genre. Inglourious Basterds and Come and See, for instance, are both technically defined as war movies, though they couldn’t be more different. Whether they’re dramas showing the horrors of war like All Quiet on the Western Front and Saving Private Ryan or more satirical approaches like M*A*S*H and Stripes, the best have something new or interesting to say about experiencing such devastation and the larger political and global implications of military action. Atropia certainly offers both new and interesting commentary in a fresh way — especially considering it examines the Iraq War, which is severely underrepresented in the genre — but it takes on so many storylines and makes so few decisive statements that it simultaneously ends up feeling overambitious and overly tame.
What is ‘Atropia’ About?

Image via Sundance

The strongest thing Atropia has going for it is its setting: a military training facility in Fort Irwin, California, called Medina Wasl and nicknamed “The Box,” where soldiers spend three weeks participating in a 24/7 roleplay scenario. During this month-long exercise, the soldiers communicate with actors playing locals — some of whom are receptive to their presence while others are hostile to American invaders. One such actor is Fayruz (Alia Shawkat), who dreams of becoming a real performer in Hollywood. She takes her roles seriously, even teaching her fellow townsperson, Gloria (Priscilla Garita), how to get into character and cry on command, despite her co-worker, Noor (Zahra Alzubaidi), insisting that putting any real effort into this job is a waste of time.
Fayruz’s focus on becoming a star, however, wavers with the introduction of Abu Dice (Callum Turner) — a real Iraq War veteran who’s cast as an insurgent. Fayruz is immediately drawn to Dice’s capabilities, while Dice chastises her for going against the rules of the simulation in order to get noticed by visiting casting directors. The two have an enemies-to-lovers thing going on, with the “lovers” aspect causing more than a few challenges as they begin a relationship while trying to maintain their roles in The Box.
‘Atropia’ Explores the Facades of War and Hollywood

Image by Jovelle Tamayo via Sundance Institute

Atropia showcases how everyone is selling their souls in different ways. Though Fayruz waxes poetic about how what she’s doing is noble and going to save lies, it’s clear that she doesn’t buy what she’s selling. Rather, she’s capitalizing off this period in history and grabbing at the opportunities that she can — something that isolates half her Iraqi family, who see her as helping America invade their homeland. “Everyone else is making money off this war,” she says. “Next year, they could invade somewhere else, and then they won’t be casting roles that I’m perfect for.” Fayruz is chasing fame at any cost, constantly lying to herself and others about her beliefs and experiences in order to stomach what she’s doing and prove her credibility. She only brings up her ethnicity when it’s convenient for her and to further her agenda.

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It’s the exact same thing the soldiers are doing. These young people are hopelessly incompetent and set up for failure, as they’re not being taught any viable skills or even being told why they’re invading the places they are. Instead, we see them being actively brainwashed and taught to twist the narrative in their favor with advice like “create compliance by making a problem only you can solve” and “don’t refer to the enemies of prisoners of war — call them terrorists.” There’s an inherent falsity and performance to the way the soldiers are taught to talk about the war, and they, too, are using their participation to their advantage. While Fayruz is chasing fame, Dice is pursuing adrenaline, and a few of the soldiers are said to be enlisting for a college education. They’re all being taken advantage of and preyed upon in different ways by the people in power. Atropia is a better satire of Hollywood and the military in general than the Iraqi war specifically, though that’s not necessarily always a bad thing.
There are also interesting questions raised about culture and identity, particularly in the dark, complex irony of Fayruz being of Iraqi heritage but having never been to the country, while Dice is a white man who has spent time there as a soldier and knows the area much better than her. This is further expanded on when Lola Kirke’s character comes into play. Though she initially seems like she will be vapid and ignorant, the film subverts our expectations by having her be an unassuming voice of reason in many ways, raising some of the toughest, most damning questions with nonchalance.
‘Atropia’ Would Benefit From Tighter Focus

Image Via Sundance Film Festival

Atropia puts the relationship between Fayruz and Dice center stage, and the two have an odd chemistry that will leave you equally uneasy and charmed. From Dice calling Fayruz his “dirty dish” to Fayruz dragging Dice into a porta potty to have sex because stenches make him hard, you’ve never seen a love story quite like theirs. Unfortunately, the choice to make it the core of the film instead of a smaller subplot feels like a misstep. Fayruz is compelling enough to carry the story as a character study alone, and her dynamic with Dice doesn’t add as much as simply fleshing her out individually would.
It doesn’t help that it takes a while for Dice to even show up. Instead of jumping into their connection right away, the beginning of the movie meanders with a subplot that sees Channing Tatum come to The Box to prepare for a movie role. It’s a fun side plot but a misleading one that goes nowhere. The same can be said of the chosen family vibe the film hints at with Noor and Gloria, as well as appearances by Chloe East as a medic and Jane Levy’s journalist. They’re all enjoyable to watch, but they end up feeling like little more than extended and ultimately unnecessary cameos.
Atropia has a riveting setting and premise at its core — one that’s shockingly based in reality — but the ensemble’s overstuffed nature lessens its impact. Fayruz is an interesting protagonist on her own — so much so that centering her arc around Dice feels like a mistake. Still, though the themes in Atropia are more subtle than one might hope and expect from a war satire, and the film could benefit from more focus, Hailey Gates successfully draws intriguing parallels between war and the entertainment industry that will have you looking at both in a whole new light.
Atropia had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Atropia

Atropia suffers from an overstuffed ensemble and lack of focus but ultimately draws interesting parallels between war and the entertainment industry.

Release Date

January 25, 2025

Runtime

104 Minutes

Director

Hailey Gates

Writers

Hailey Gates

Pros & Cons

Shawkat and Turner have a strangely compelling chemistry, which makes the love story between Fayruz and Dice feel authentic.
Gates draws interesting connections between being a soldier at war and a performer in the entertainment industry.
The setting and premise feel fresh and original.

The choice to center Fayruz and Dice?s love story instead of making it a smaller subplot does a disservice to Fayruz?s character.
There are too many characters and subplots that ultimately don?t go anywhere.
The film lacks bite and doesn?t send a strong enough message about the military.