"I'm Afraid That's Me, Darling."

Ralph Fiennes’ character, Monsieur Gustave, in The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson’s best creation to date.

He is layered with dimensions. Not only does he go off on poetic and philosophical musings, but he also cuts them short with an “oh, fuck it” and a shot of whiskey. He is nostalgic, not for a former world, but for a world entirely of his own creation. Flamboyant, gay (bi?), selfless and selfish, with just enough naivety to remain funny without trying too hard.

He’s also a character that can work across setting, from the hotel, to a train, to a jail, to a monastery, making him the perfect protagonist for an adventure story. And make no mistake, this is a classic Wes Anderson adventure story, but it also explores new territory for Anderson.

Where a normal Anderson film would end, he takes it into a black-and-white scene sequence. The audience knows what has to happen in the story but never expected Wes Anderson to be the one to take them there. The mere character of M. Gustave keeps the coherence between the familiar and the strange.

SPOILER: The best (but also worst) part is that, unlike the rest of Anderson’s characters, in all of his films, M. Gustave comes to a tragic end. And the film is left in heartbreak, for both nostalgia and injustice.