The fictional convention in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is set in 1955.
The film’s main events take place during a Junior Stargazer convention in a desert town in the American Southwest. Around young science contestants and their families, the story combines an encounter with an extraterrestrial visitor, government secrecy, romance, grief, and theatrical performance. The year 1955 places the narrative within the early Cold War and the era of American fascination with space science.
Asteroid City uses a layered structure: a television presentation in black and white introduces a playwright and production, while the color segments show the staged story. Jason Schwartzman plays Augie Steenbeck, and Scarlett Johansson plays actress Midge Campbell. Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, and Tilda Swinton are also featured.
The year should not be confused with the film’s release date, 2023. Anderson deliberately separates the period setting from the modern television framing device.