‘Atropia’ Review: Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner Charm in Absurdist Tale of Love in the Time of the Iraq War [B] – Sundance Film Festival

Atropia exists somewhere between reality and fiction, between earnest emotion and absurdity. This title is also the name of the immersive training ground at the center of its narrative, a stand-in for the mock villages and neighborhoods the U.S. military has used in real life to prepare soldiers for war overseas. The feature film debut of actor Hailey Gates (seen in Challengers as Josh O’Connor’s real estate date and a struggling mother in Twin Peaks: The Return), Atropia is a sharp satire that examines the profound stupidity and cruelty of the second Bush administration with humor while finding space for human connection. 

Fayruz Abbas (Alia Shawkat) knows she was made for bigger things than her gig work in Atropia. She’s an actor who is determined to leave the painstakingly constructed military training ground for a career in the movies. Fayruz is convinced that if she oversells it just enough, she might just break out of the narrow typecasting she’s subjected to as an Iraqi-American actor in the late 2000s. The lives of herself and her fellow actors, all of whom are living in the “24/7 live play scenario” of “Medina Wasl,” are surreal ones. Scents, ranging from the warm comfort of baked bread to the disturbing smell of rotting flesh, are piped into the area depending on the simulation. Roles change weekly and the stakes are surprisingly low despite the theatrics that play out. As one character in the movie says, it’s all basically “a really expensive game of laser tag.” Things are finally shaken up when Fayruz meets and begins a romance with Abu Dice (Callum Turner), a former soldier playing an insurgent in Atropia. Eventually, their romance will lead to a tender moment of connection despite their circumstances.

Turner and Shawkat’s chemistry is one of the strongest parts of Atropia. Their connection is a strange, and disarmingly sweet one — the way they interact with each other, first with mistrust and then undeniable attraction and intimacy, is compelling. After a dinner with the resident actors in Atropia, Fayruz mentions her desire to be “washed like a dirty dish” after weeks without a shower (another condition to preserve the area’s “authenticity”). Soon after, she’s seemingly kidnapped by Dice only to discover he’s set up a tub on the outskirts of the area. “I want to wash you like a dirty dish,” he says simply. Bathing as an act of romantic intimacy has been done before, in movies like Out of Africa and Secretary, but Atropia’s version of this is undercut by the realities of the pair’s surroundings: soon they are spotted via the night vision heat goggles of the trainees on the ground. 

Atropia will often throw in scenes from actual archival footage of soldiers in Iraq, and speeches from President Bush to punctuate a moment or illustrate a character’s thoughts. When asked about his time overseas, Dice will grow quiet as the film cuts to grainy digital video from the era. The mixing of real footage with the heightened absurdity of the film offers a grounding presence: as if the film is reminding the audience that there’s some truth within the surreality of what’s on screen. It’s an interesting blend, a mix of comedy, romance, farce, and shades of drama. Atropia certainly has a lot on its mind and it mostly pulls off its weird balance of genres. Often, the film feels like it’s flitting from idea to idea, albeit with a visual punch and solid comedic timing when it counts. Director Gates has good instincts about where we should be focusing and where a joke should land: take for instance, when a big celebrity shows up at the compound and ends up in a ham-off of sorts with Fayruz. The camera bounces back and forth between the sparring pair as they compete for attention, and then breaks away when the real punchline lands.

The performances of Atropia’s leads are ultimately what help it land. Shawkat and Turner are easy and fun to watch as they romance each other and try to come to terms with the realities they face outside of the fake village. They are aimless, not by choice but by their circumstances: Shawkat is a struggling actor of color who’s willing to throw dignity to the wind if it means achieving her goals, and Turner is a bruised and conflicted Army veteran who is unequipped to adjust to life outside of the battlefield. It’s enough fodder for a compelling drama but in Atropia, the humor and romance shine through as well offering a welcome complexity.

Grade: B

This review is from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival where Atropia had its world premiere. The film is currently seeking U.S. distribution.