Ryan McNeil
“What are you doing in this place?”
The question is meant literally, but for many families, the question is often figurative too. How is it that our family ties weaken and strengthen? And how far do you have to go to become truly close with your family? That’s the question that THE DARJEELING LIMITED seems most interested in examining. The movie is the latest from writer and director Wes Anderson, and it nestles nicely with his other work.
DARJEELING is about The Whitman Brothers; Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter(Adrien Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartzman). Francis has brought them together aboard The Darjeeling Limited, an Indian passenger train, in the hopes that they can mend their strained relationship and embark on a spiritual journey. The brothers haven’t been together in a year, and none of them have a good reason why. Francis’ secret agenda is that they can find their estranged mother, but along the way, the brothers fight, pray, argue, laugh, love, smoke, lose their faith and find it again.
As Francis, Wilson has a misguided optimism. He has a habit of speaking for the group, but sounding as though the others can still have a say. Most of the movie, his head is bundled in Jacob Marley-like bandages. The look seems a bit absurd, but Wilson keeps a “trust-me” tone to his voice that makes just about everyone see past them.
Finally, with Jack, Schwartzman plays the middle ground. He has a touch of Francis’ determination, like the way he goes right for a stewardess he is smitten with. At the same time, he reflects Peter’s quirkiness, most easily displayed by the way he keeps calling his ex-girlfriend’s answering machine and checking her messages. Before they part, the stewardess asks Jack “What’s wrong with you?” “Let me think about that” he replies. Any of the brothers could have been asked the same question, chances are all three of them would have to think hard about their answer.
Besides the three leads, there are a few other cast members that will stick in your head. Amara Karan plays Rita, the stewardess who will cut right through you with her striking eyes. Waris Ahluwalia plays the chief steward and Rita’s boyfriend, who doesn’t seem to like the brothers too much. Ifran Khan is heartbreaking as the father of a young Indian boy the brothers meet along the way. Add in cameos by Bill Murray, and an actress I won’t name who plays the matriarch of the three odd brothers, and you have a stellar supporting cast.
The typical Wes Anderson hallmarks are here: deadpan humour, single camera pans during conversation, slow-motion running, dollhouse wall montages, and a great soundtrack. The movie opens on a great slow motion shot of Brody running for the train as The Kinks’ “This Time Tomorrow” jangles on the soundtrack. Looking back, it’s a great table setter for the story, since each brother seems to be chasing something. Individually and collectively. The movie is shot using a rich, lavish palette, and there are many shots where Anderson tells the story merely using facial expressions.
Earlier today I wrote about my own family, and the sorts of things we bonded over. People have called my family The Cleavers because of how wholesome everything appears, but the truth is that such bonds sometimes take a lot of work. THE DARJEELING LIMITED understands what it is to put your dissent aside, and sometimes just trust your family because they are your blood. The movie is off-beat, and many may find that it isn’t their brand of humour. For me, the scenes and words of this movie are enlightening, and I sat there wishing I was on that spiritual journey with them. Excuse me – I’m off to pack up some Vutton bags and book a train ticket.