The 98th Academy Awards concluded on Sunday night with a historic victory for One Battle After Another, the sprawling political thriller directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film took home the night's top prize, Best Picture, capping off a dominant awards season. The production, which was long shrouded in mystery under the working title BC Project, marks a milestone in the collaboration between Anderson and DiCaprio, finally delivering the director his first Academy Award for Best Director. Oscars 2026: ‘One Battle After Another’ Star Sean Penn Becomes Fourth Male Actor To Win 3 Academy Awards, Who Are the Other Winners?.

‘One Battle After Another’ Dominance at the 2026 Oscars

The ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre, saw One Battle After Another secure a total of six Oscars from its 13 nominations. In a highly competitive year, the film edged out Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic Sinners to claim the industry's most prestigious honours.

Victories for the film included:

Best Picture

Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Best Adapted Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn)

Best Film Editing

Best Casting

During his acceptance speech, Anderson reflected on the nature of the industry, stating, "There is no best among these films. There is just what the mood might be that day." Despite his long history of critical acclaim with films like There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights, this win represents Anderson's first time taking home the trophies for both Directing and Screenwriting.

‘One Battle After Another’ Plot Explained

Loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, One Battle After Another is a darkly comic thriller set against a backdrop of political paranoia and family legacy.

The story follows Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio), an ageing, "stoned" former revolutionary living off the grid in the sanctuary city of Baktan Cross, California. Bob spends his days in a state of hyper-vigilance, raising his free-spirited teenage daughter, Willa (played by newcomer Chase Infiniti). He has spent years shielding Willa from the truth about her mother, Perfidia, whom he paints as a revolutionary hero.

Watch the Trailer of ‘One Battle After Another’:

The tension ignites when Bob’s longtime nemesis, Colonel Steven J Lockjaw (Sean Penn), resurfaces. Lockjaw, a corrupt military officer obsessed with Bob’s past, launches a tactical operation under the guise of a drug raid to hunt down the former activists. The narrative shifts into a high-stakes "action car-chase movie" as Bob is forced to abandon his quiet life to protect his daughter and confront the betrayals that fractured his movement decades earlier.

‘One Battle After Another’ Production

The film is notable for being the most expensive project of Paul Thomas Anderson’s career, with a reported budget between USD 130 million and USD 175 million. Produced by Warner Bros., it was shot using VistaVision cameras, a large-format film technology rarely used since the 1960s, giving the movie a distinct, "raw and rustic" visual texture. Oscars 2026 Winners List: ‘One Battle After Another’ Wins Best Picture; Michael B Jordan and Jessie Buckley Win Top Acting Awards.

Critics have praised the film for blending Anderson’s signature character-driven drama with large-scale action. By moving the setting of Pynchon's novel to a more contemporary American landscape, the film explores themes of shifting political alliances, generational guilt, and the personal cost of radical activism.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 16, 2026 01:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).