The Coen brothers’ new dark comedy Burn After Reading leaves the audience wondering “What just happened?” Regardless of the unclear plot, the directors use highly developed characters to hint at a deeper purpose.

The story revolves around the top secret files of a former CIA agent, Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich). After being fired from his job due to a drinking problem, Cox tries to write a memoir about his struggles to aspire in a world full of “morons.”

Somehow, the disk containing information from Cox’s memoir ends up at a gym, where Chad (Brad Pitt), a self-absorbed fitness trainer, comes across it. Chad is willing to give back Cox’s files until his co-worker, Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), convinces him to do otherwise. Instead she considers blackmailing Cox into giving her money for his personal files, so that she can pay for the cosmetic surgeries she desires.

Meanwhile, the former CIA agent’s problem with alcoholism puts pressure on his marriage and as a result, his wife (Tilda Swinton) has an affair with another man (George Clooney). Her lover, who never commits to a single relationship, also gets involved with the insecure Linda Litzke through an Internet dating service.