Grand Budapest Hotel Analysis

Wes Anderson is known for his eccentric and humorous films which includes "The Grand Budapest Hotel". The film is mainly about Zero's life story which was narrated by the author of the book. All the characters in the movie illustrated a connection to the growth of Zero throughout the film. Even at the beginning of the film, the loyalty, affection and understanding that the characters have for each other can already be seen. As the story progresses, we can see how each of the characters make an impact on each other's lives. The movie focuses on the loyalty and friendships that were formed between the different characters but it also shows the audience the reality that these friendships may bring joy but not everything ends happily.

The film has a plot within a plot and it begins in the present day with a young woman reading a book by a man who wrote about the time he travels to the Grand Budapest Hotel located in the Republic of Zubrowka and he meets the owner, Zero Mustafa. He invites the author to have dinner with him and tells his story of how he came to be the owner of the hotel. Back in 1932, the Grand Budapest Hotel was considered a luxurious hotel. Zero Mustafa is hired to work as a lobby boy under the command of Gustave. Gustave is the expert concierge of the hotel who manages to efficiently run the hotel and also attend to the needs of elderly women who want some attention. When Zero finds that one of these women, Madame D, was found dead at her home, Gustave and Zero immediately go to her funeral. He learns that he has inherited a valuable painting, Boy with Apple, and Madame D's family isn't pleased by this will. Gustave and Zero steals the painting which causes a series of events to happen that would lead to the present time.

Gustave's relationship with those around him can be seen all throughout the film. The bond between Gustave and Zero is the most important relationship in this film. At the beginning of the story, Gustave and Zero did not seem like they would get along well but as the story progressed, they were able to build a strong bond between them. All throughout the film, Zero showed his loyalty to Gustave. No matter what request Gustave asked for, no matter what danger Zero had to go through, he never once abandoned Gustave. He kept Gustave's secret affairs from the others and helped him escape from prison. In the same way, Gustave had genuine concern for Zero. The first time that the soldiers stopped them on the train, Gustave shouts: "Take your hands off my Lobby boy!". This scene is later mirrored at the end of the movie, when he tried to defend Zero again from the soldiers who were questioning Zero's papers and Gustave tells them: "If you lay a finger on this man, I'll see you dishonorably discharged, locked up in the stockade, and hanged by sundown.". This attempt to save Zero from the authorities is what led to his death. As the story progresses, the relationship between Zero and Gustave slowly develops until they are no longer just concierge and lobby boy, but a family that neither of them had.

Other than his relationship with Zero, the hotel staff were also loyal to Gustave. When one of their own is falsely accused of a crime he did not commit, they immediately came to help him without any hesitation. Although Gustave would often order his hotel staff harshly, they never left his side when he needed their help. Additionally, the Society of the Crossed Keys, a group of concierges from hotels across Europe, also showed loyalty to Gustave when they immediately dropped what they were doing and came to help a friend in need. Similarly, a friendship is also built between Gustave and his four prison inmates, Pinky, Gunther, Wolf and Ludwig. The four prisoners accept Gustave as their own and include him in their escape plan. Before they part ways, they give each other a brief but sincere goodbye. Even with just little time together, they were able to build a bond with each other. These characters found mutual trust in each other in times of need.

Besides the characters' loyalty to each other, Gustave has also been loyal to the Grand Budapest Hotel. Even after nineteen consecutive years, he still returns to this hotel. It is clear