Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme introduced a complex project called the Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme, and it involved a concept called "the gap." The black comedy movie mainly revolves around Zsa-zsa Karda (Benicio del Toro), an arms dealer and industrialist who, after seeing visions of the afterlife, decides to make amends with his estranged daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton). Throughout the movie, Zsa-zsa is hunted down by an unknown killer amid his efforts to spearhead his newfound business venture.
The Phoenician Scheme is imbued with Wes Anderson's style, meaning that some terms or concepts are deliberately vague or not explained thoroughly in the movie. One of these concepts is the gap, a crucial aspect that could make or break Zsa-zsa as his life and business hang in the balance.
Directed by Wes Anderson, The Phoenician Scheme (part of Universal CinemaCon 2025's lineup of announcements) is headlined by a star-studded cast led by Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeffrey Wright. The Phoenician Scheme premiered in theaters on May 29, 2025, before it premiered on Peacock on July 25, 2025.
What Is the Gap in the Phoenician Scheme?
At the crux of The Phoenician Scheme's plot, Zsa-zsa is willing to go all out to secure funding for the Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme. After reuniting with his daughter, Sister Liesl, they team up to push their agenda while risking their lives in the process.
However, things become complicated due to Zsa-zsa's wanted man status, meaning that there are several assassination attempts against him, and the big problem here is that he has no idea who is targeting him.
While his life hangs in the balance, Zsa-zsa's desperation has led him to focus his attention on "the gap."
Based on what is explained in the movie, the gap is the additional amount of money needed to complete the Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme. This was created when the cost of the said project increased drastically due to market manipulation.
The gap is essentially an economic scheme to become profitable, and it is at the center of Zsa-zsa's plea to close allies and family to cover his project's funding.
Although the term is deliberately vague, it's worth noting that the gap serves as part of the fuel that drives Zsa-zsa to stay alive, with the main one being the Phoenician project.
Did Zsa-Zsa Manage to Fill 'The Gap' in The Phoenician Scheme?
While Zsa-zsa wasn't able to secure the funding from his close friends, The Phoenician Scheme ended with a different kind of sacrifice for him after he decided to go bankrupt and fill in the gap for his scheme.
This act managed to cover the remaining expenses for the project. In turn, he lost his money, but he did, however, fix his estranged relationship with his daughter. It essentially preserved his legacy.
More than the money he needed for the project, some have pointed out that the gap represents an emotional void in Zsa-zsa's life, and he was able to fill that by sacrificing his financial gain, which in turn, gave him the relationship he was trying to gain with his daughter, Liesl.
If he ended up still managing to fill the gap through the help of his colleagues, friends, and family, then he would've owed them a massive debt that could turn into complications given the dangerous world he lives in as a wanted man.
