The Symbolically Implicit Depiction of Death in Wes Anderson’s Castello Cavalcanti

Castello Cavalcanti (2013) is a seven-minute short film directed by Wes Anderson in production partnership with Prada. Jason Schwartzman stars as Jed Cavalcanti, a 1950s Formula One driver who is partaking in a race resulting in an implicitly fatal crash into a statue of Jesus in a small Italian village. What follows divides audiences and evokes questions about death, the afterlife, and fate.

This short is a personal favourite of mine. I think it truly alters and encourages considerations around what happens when we die. Whilst there is no explicit stating that Jed Cavalcanti died, the symbolism is suggestive of his death. The metaphorical standing of the film is imperative for this suggestion of death, as well as in allowing the audience’s own interpretations of both Cavalcanti’s fate and the potential for life after death.

It’s imperative to look at the religious symbolism of the short film. Cavalcanti's crash into a statue of Jesus evokes a consideration of religious sentiments around death, and the idea that the driver has reached - or is going to reach - a place of religious judgement and potential peace. Not only does Cavalcanti physically come into contact with Christian iconography, but the craze and chaos from a high-speed crash could almost settle some of the driver’s fears.

The multifaceted nature of the film’s religious symbolism also allows for open-ended considerations of the way that religion and death interact. I think it is also necessary to think about the 1950s being considered a ‘Golden Age’ of religious practice for Catholic Italy, with high Mass attendance and widespread social influence from the Church. Would Cavalcanti have crashed into a statue of Jesus if the film was set elsewhere? It is also possible that the audience is witnessing Cavalcanti’s own almost self-soothing after he has died, and having that physical connection to such a highly influential - if not the most influential - religious figure provides him with a sense of comfort as he reaches his fate.

On the topic of being soothed during death - especially such an outwardly aggressive death in the form of a crash - the tranquility of the small Italian town is noticeable. Cavalcanti comes face-to-face with a sign of his own last name, highlighting an ‘ancestral return’. He meets his ancestors and stays with them to chat and eat plates of spaghetti whilst actively choosing to miss the bus out of town. The ancestral return emphasises a connection between death and origins, possibly further contributing to an idea of comfort in the form of reconnection after death. Regardless of religious symbolism and even beliefs, the idea that death will bring about familial reconnection is something that would undoubtedly soothe the minds of many.

The metaphorical backbone of this short film is so useful when considering the portrayal of death. As I mentioned, Cavalcanti skipping the last bus out of town emphasises the possibility that he has found peace within his final destination. He also refuses to be picked up, which suggests he doesn't want this place of peace and rest to be meddled with. The crash itself is a metaphor with there being no explicit discussion of fatality. I’d suggest that the entire crash is actually a peaceful and poetic transition into the afterlife, especially when paired with the serenity and surrealism of the welcoming and cozy community of Cavalcanti’s final destination.

Death in Castello Cavalcanti is portrayed as a place to find peace, which opposes the scary and unknown void that many view it to be. With many different forms of symbolism and metaphor coming into play, death is almost presented as welcoming and calming. This is something that I find particularly enjoyable when delving into this short, as it evokes hope and tranquility rather than fear, as well as opening a forum for discussion of the limitless possibilities of what happens when we die.

Words by Scarlett Sheehan, she/her