A little while ago, a friend of mine introduced me to director Wes Anderson. After watching Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom, I became infatuated with Anderson's unique style of directing, which is why I chose to watch and analyze his film The Darjeeling Limited.
The Darjeeling Limited is a humorous, touching movie about three brothers: Francis, Peter, and Jack (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) who haven't spoken since their father's funeral one year ago. They decide to take a train journey across India to try and restore the bond they once shared, encountering a poisonous snake, a funeral, a runaway mother, and an attractive stewardess. Each brother is dealing with his own personal struggle - a pregnant wife, a recent break up, a smashed-up face - and with the help of each other, they each learn to overcome or accept their predicament.
The themes of sibling bonds and abandonment are woven throughout the film. The brothers were abandoned at some point by their mother, whom they track down as part of their trip, only to be abandoned by her yet again. Jack is abandoned by his girlfriend before the trip and Peter abandons his very pregnant wife to go to India with his brothers. Sibling bonds are prevalent throughout the whole movie between each brother. If two brothers share a secret, the third is bound to find it out not long afterwards, and none of them can stay mad at each other for very long. The whole movie is about the three men fortifying their brotherly bond.
I think that Anderson has tried to break free from his usual whimsical, "dollhouse" movies by incorporating relatable, almost adult themes into Darjeeling. Alas, this film also seems very whimsical and quaint, suffocating the touching themes that could otherwise be very engaging and sensible. Although I do like the feel of Anderson's movies, I was a little disappointed that he failed to break out of his usual style with this movie.
Despite Wes Anderson's lack of variance in the movie's feel, I actually really loved this movie. There were humorous parts all the way through, even in the serious portions of the film. The casting was fantastic - Wilson, Schwartzman, and Brody fit their characters like a glove. The cinematography was classic Anderson - lots of close ups and direct shots - making the film feel peculiar in a good way. I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5.
Although I've never seen this movie, the review that you gave it seems like it was more of a comedy movie and that throughout the movie as you stated that the themes of sibling bonds and abandonment were thrown loosely into the movie. I would more then likely watch this movie in my free time.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with this review! I really like your interest with Wes Anderson and how you would compare this movie to his other films. I enjoyed one of the movies listed so I think I'll check this one out! Your review was really thorough and seemed like something a real critic would write, nice job!
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ReplyDeleteI have recently been getting really captivated by Wes Anderson and this film is one I have not yet seen. Your review reinforced my desire to see this movie and I will do so very soon. Great job mentioning the typical Anderson stylistic aspects as well as the thematic elements of the plot, made this review more in depth than some others.
ReplyDeleteNice job, Monique. Yeah, Anderson is pretty interesting. You should watch Rushmore, one of his first and best films. Nice job talking through the story. Maybe a little more focus on a particular scene/cinematics/details would help too. Keep up the good work.
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