Paul Thomas Anderson wanted to create something "complicated" with One Battle After Another.

The 55-year-old director has responded to people criticising his film's portrayal of Black women and racial politics, including Teyana Taylor's character Perfidia.

After the movie won Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday (15.03.26), he told reporters backstage: "I know a little bit about that critique. I know that Teyana has talked about it a lot.

"I know we have the portrayal of many different characters, in particular her character who is so flawed, and unfortunately makes decisions that are detrimental to the revolution she is trying to fight.

"It's complicated. We always knew we were trying to make something complicated. We knew weren't making something that wasn't heroic, and we needed to lean into that, and we needed to own the fact that this woman was suffering not only from postpartum depression, but she was suffering from issues of her own, that she hadn't really reconciled with."

He explained the way Perfidia "becomes an anti-hero" as they tried to "set up the story" of the next generation.

He added: "It's a pretty dangerous thing when you start off and want to change the world, but you become selfish. You read your own reviews. That was our hero in Perfidia, who becomes an anti-hero.

"The point of it is to set up the story of Willa, the next generation: What happens when your parents who are damaged have handed quite a difficult history to you, how do you manage that?

"That's our story, and our story is in Chase [Infiniti's character] and her evolution."

Anderson joked he "thought we were supposed to be partying" as he faced tough questions in the winners room, but still answered, including one reporter quizzing him on the movie's message to society.

He said: "Our film obviously has a certain amount of parallels to what's happening in the news everyday, so it obviously reflects what's happening in the world.

"In terms of where it's going - I don't know.

"But I know that the end of our movie is our hero, Willa, heading off to continue to fight against evil forces, and I think like I said in my speech, at least put common and decency back into fashion."