A self-referential satire about a satire, “Digger” is a contained story within a story. The film follows oil tycoon Rockwell Digger (Tom Cruise), whose negligence leads to an explosion at one of his ice-based Greenland oil rigs. Aside from the collateral deaths of workers in the initial burst, a massive iceberg chunk breaks off of the glacier and sets on a direct collision course with Europe.

Led by visionary auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu, known for his dark, absurdist comedies, the premise remained a mystery for months, and the previews consisted of a glorified Cruise “fancam,” serving as a sizzle reel of the actors’ most popular roles. All that was known about the film was that it starred a fat-suit-donning Cruise buried under facial prosthetics.

The first part of the film ends with Digger and United States President Compson (John Goodman) weighing their options on how and if they should intercept the glacier. Shortly after, the first 30 minutes of the film reveal it was a performance, and Digger is only a character in a stage play.

Cruise’s real role is a middle-aged actor, juggling between searching for his missing daughter and preparing for the biggest opening night of his career. And although the marketing campaign for “Digger” created intrigue around the film, it wasn’t enough to make the storylines any less confusing.

The two timelines do not have particularly obvious visual distinctions. To Cruise’s credit, his slipping in and out of Digger’s Texan drawl to his actor’s voice serves as the sole indicator of which setting a scene is in. The Digger timeline also relies on absurd coloring, almost reminiscent of Wes Anderson color grading, and a jumpy, goofy score, adding slight distinction.

The main contained story twist is a highlight of the film and one of many cleverly integrated narrative reveals, keeping it wildly unpredictable and zany. However, viewers can’t shake the feeling that the story’s twists only shock rather than advance the plot. The film comes off as seeking Academy Award recognition for ingenuity instead of an actually competent ending.

This is not to say the film’s ending and meta gags regarding tycoons and the cascading global effects are lost on audiences. This message is clear, undeniable and courageously audacious, consisting of the political commentary and dystopian hallmarks associated with Iñárritu’s signature black comedies.

But on the road there, the film gets distracted, spending too much time in the world of Digger, and not nearly enough with Digger’s actor. Contained scenes within the play seem to drag on and on, trading monologues between Dr. Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), the rightfully agitated, whistleblowing head of environmental safety, Compson and Digger. Logistics and moral growth are told to audiences rather than shown, one of the pitfalls of the multi-layered story.

Additionally, Jesse Plemons’ creepy, all-knowing producer Kenny and the disappearance of Digger’s actor’s daughter are only ever partially resolved. One line was allotted to solidify her storyline, with Cruise essentially simply saying “she’s alive,” which is supposed to be enough to tie up her ending.

The less-than-spectacular finale leaves questions looming large: Who are these characters and why should we care? The film’s premise feels half-baked, leaving audiences wishing it had stayed simmering just a little longer.

Cruise’s performance is compelling but certainly not “outrageous,” as Cruise himself has claimed. Although his work is startling and transformative, Digger is pretty clearly Cruise in prosthetics. That being said, his conviction is strong, bouncing between dialects and brilliantly capturing the vastly varying intricacies of both Digger and his actor.

However, Riz Ahmed’s performance as Dr. Ganesh truly deserves its accolades. Alongside supporting actresses Sandra Hüeller as Digger’s sister, Emma Rockwell, and Emma D’Arcy as Digger’s loyal assistant Lina, Ahmed shines as the standout supporting actor, serving as maybe the only morally justifiable character in the entire film. He encapsulates an anxious yet capable, understated everyman, and his jittery energy and transformative arc rival Cruise as the film’s true star.

The movie’s admirable abrasiveness is not for everyone but to be expected for an Iñárritu film, whose past works have included the controversially brutal “The Revenant” (2015) and “Babel” (2006). While its inventive “secondary story” is a neat idea, the audience doesn’t spend enough time with Digger’s actor to care about or fully understand his situation, and the story gets bogged down by long spiels.

The twists are enticing enough that if attention had been more evenly split between timelines, the audience could have been more invested. Instead, “Digger” digs itself into the hole of simply being bizarre.