Aahana Swrup
In ‘One Battle After Another,’ one misstep by social revolutionary Perfidia of the French 75 group compels her family, partner Pat, and newborn daughter Charlene to go into hiding. Sixteen years pass, and the duo finds themselves living in California under the new aliases of Bob and Willa Ferguson. Even though the father, now a washed-up revolutionary, continues to live life on the paranoid edge, he’s still not prepared for it when danger inevitably knocks on the door. Perfidia’s old nemesis, Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, is back on the hunt for the fugitive’s daughter. As it turns out, he believes Willa holds the potential to pose a threat to his ambitions of joining an elite secret society, The Christmas Adventurer’s Club. The organization itself seems incredibly classified, populated with influential and powerful individuals who are working to push forward the ideals of white supremacy from behind the curtains. As such, the Club becomes an intriguing part of the film’s worldbuilding, informing the story’s themes of socio-politics.
The Christmas Adventurers Club’s Fictional Creation is Rooted in White Supremacy and Secret Societies
Much of ‘One Battle After Another,’ in terms of premise and tone, is inspired by the 1990 novel ‘Vineland’ by Thomas Pynchon. Yet, the narrative elements and details between the novel and the film notably differ. The Christmas Adventurers Club is a work of fiction that seems to have been created specifically for the latter. In real life, there are no reports of an identical white supremacist secret society that seemingly operated from the shadows and has influence in a variety of factions, including politics and the military. Off-the-bat, the fictional organization seems to share a similar terminology to the Super Adventure Club, another fictional organization.
The latter Club is from the animated sitcom ‘South Park.’ In the dark comedy satirical show, the Super Adventure Club is introduced as an organization of child molesters. Although there are foundational differences between this Club and the Christmas Adventurers Club from ‘One Battle Another,’ both present similar ideas of secretive and exploitative societies built on acknowledging and endorsing immoral ideologies and actions. Whether or not this connection between the two fictional organizations is intentional remains unknown. Alternatively, even though the Christmas Adventurers Club itself remains fictitious, the ideas and themes peddled through it in the service of the narrative find some footing in reality. The organization, headed by old, white men, is an exclusive club that only the most elite can join.
The initiation and acceptance process remains expansive, prodding into their candidates’ personal lives. Furthermore, it seems they have enough resources, influence, and power to carry out random assassinations simply to ensure their secretive existence is preserved. Although this presents a more exaggerated, parodied, and satirical take on secret societies, it offers a realistic depiction of the dangers of white supremacy, especially in places of power. Despite the lack of an identical real-life counterpart, there are actual exclusive and powerful secret societies that provide somewhat of an off-screen context to the on-screen Club. For instance, the Bohemian Club, a men-only affair that has been around since 1878, has seen exclusive membership from a variety of powerful individuals, including former U.S. presidents. Ultimately, the Christmas Adventurers Club remains a fictitious reference to dangerous real-life ideologies.
Read More: Where Was One Battle After Another Filmed?
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