Wes Anderson’s newest creation hit theaters last Friday after receiving a seven and a half minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. Its themes revolve around death, or lack thereof, and the rediscovering of family in the preparation before dying.

In the film we see Zsa-Zsa Korda (played by Benicio del Toro) navigate a set of investors and deals in the hopes of receiving enough money to execute his Phoenician Scheme, a railway enterprise. He brings his daughter, Sister Liesl (played by Mia Threapleton) along as he has made her sole heir to his estate despite never really meeting her. The third face of the scheme is Bjork, the quirky tutor turned personal assistant (played by Michael Cera).

Handling the tycoons comes with increasing difficulty, beginning with a basketball and ending with a fatal fight. They all begin with a short burst of yelling, however. With attempts on his life by the investors themselves and assassins, his motives become more and more personal

The final tycoon he must face is his half-brother, Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch), is the most intwined of all. Korda accuses him of murdering his third wife, Sister Liesl’s mother, and fights to clear his name and defend hers.

Korda’s seemingly toxic trait: He has a habit of surviving. He experiences numerous near-death experiences at the hands of terrorists, assassins, and the investors he’s trying to win over, but he never fully dies. He instead visits his Heavenly trials; his daughter and three wives testifying against him with Knave (Willem Defoe) defending him.

The jarring transition between life and the trials, which includes the draining of color and a flash of photo negative sets, symbolizes the jolt of life at the moment of death. The sting of past mistakes and not-so-positive memories seems to be enough to startle him – and the audience – awake.

The Phoenician Scheme is more than a film about convincing investors and dodging assassins. It’s about settling one’s debts before death and embracing who you have around you. Korda finds a place to love his daughter and nine sons after years of ignoring them, sending them to live across the street rather than in his mansion. He finds there is life to be found in simplicity.