‘One Battle After Another’ Draws Criticism for Perpetuating Harmful Stereotypes of Black Women
Los Angeles, CA – Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, One Battle After Another, is facing scrutiny for its depiction of interracial relationships and its reliance on racialized tropes surrounding Black women, sparking a debate about representation and the duty of filmmakers. Critics allege the film reinforces damaging stereotypes, framing interracial attraction through a lens of “race kink” rather than genuine connection.
The controversy centers on the film’s portrayal of relationships between white characters and Black women, specifically the dynamic between Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and Perfidia, and a scene involving Bob (leonardo DiCaprio).A review in The Guardian points to a moment where Lockjaw asks Bob, “Do you like Black girls? I love them,” arguing that the line, intended to demonstrate the character’s repulsiveness, echoes earlier dialog where Bob expresses attraction to Perfidia in similar terms.The review further highlights a scene where actor Wood Harris’ character describes his girlfriend, Alana Haim, as “an ordinary, working white girl,” suggesting the film presents a worldview where interracial relationships are inherently rooted in racial fetishization.
The critique extends beyond individual scenes, with concerns raised about the broader implications of the film’s narrative choices. The Guardian review contends that One Battle After Another implies all interracial relationships are “founded on a race kink, with the possibility of genuine connection only ever a happy after-thought.” This argument arrives amidst ongoing conversations about the past “jezebel” stereotype – the hypersexualized portrayal of Black women – and its continued presence in contemporary media. While acknowledging director Anderson’s personal relationship with Maya Rudolph, a Black and mixed-race woman, the review stresses that personal circumstances do not negate the need for critical examination of potentially harmful representations.
The film’s title itself, One Battle After another, is reframed by the critic as a call for continued vigilance and a recognition that achieving meaningful change in representation will require ongoing effort. An amendment was published on September 29, 2025, to clarify that the character Junglepussy’s name is the same as the performer’s stage name.
