"'The Darjeeling Limited' is toned down, yet still off-centered and original enough to distinguish Wes Anderson from other directors and writers."
Writer/Director Wes Anderson's movies are the definition of "cult classic," bringing to light quirky characters, odd, quiet dialogue and emotional peaks that most filmmakers spend their whole careers trying to attain. Though his movies have never quite hit the mainstream, his honesty and interesting choices are what makes his films unique and loveable.
His last outing, 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,' brought wackiness to new heights, in essence creating a parody of his own films. But his latest offering, 'The Darjeeling Limited', is toned down, yet still off-centered and original enough to distinguish him from other directors and writers. What makes this his best work to date is the intense emotional struggles through which his characters are attempting to fight.
'Darjeeling' tells the story of three brothers, Francis, Peter and Jack (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman, respectively), who are reunited on a train journey through the sometimes bleak and frequently beautiful landscapes of India in attempts to reconnect with each other. The patriarch of the family had recently passed, leaving the already splintered family that much more lost. Oldest brother Francis plans out the trip (albeit obsessively), trying to cram in spiritual awakenings with the help of forced itineraries and a personal assistant. However, he has a secret plan in mind: he is taking the men to seek guidance from their mother (Angelica Houston), who had abandoned them to become a nun in the Himalayas.
As with all of Anderson's previous works, the characters are all facing internal negative forces are trying to piece together a normal life. Francis is battered and bruised, both emotionally and physically, and is desperately attempting to find his purpose. He turns to the one thing he could always rely on for comfort - his family, no matter how painful it is to revisit.
Peter is the handsome, charming one in the family, who underneath his serene exterior is completely lost in his own mind. He is attempting to deal with the pressures of finally growing up and starting a family, but reacts the same way he always has - by running when the situation gets too serious.
Jack is the goofy yet loveable youngest, who recently went through a painful breakup with the love of his life. He is overly obsessed with her, going through some fairly extreme measures to get over his heartache, including sleeping with a pretty train stewardess and hacking into his ex's voicemails.
The men reluctantly go on the journey and try to force some happiness and brotherly love along the way. All three are trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered family and the things they've lost through the years. They hope for some answers and how to deal with the painful realities of their crumbling lives. Though whatever the purpose of the train holiday, by the end of the film it was clearly realized, perhaps not exactly the way they planned. It wasn't the forced spiritual enlightenment that changed their lives - it was the journey itself. Mutual suffering helps brings them together after all, and when the men can no longer rely on a parental force, they take comfort in each other.
The director brings together his usual suspects, with familiar faces Wilson, Schwartzman, and Houston (plus a bonus cameo from Anderson's muse Bill Murray), along with Brody, a much-welcomed newcomer to the troupe. There is plenty of Wilson's expected offbeat acting, but in this film he delves deeper into his tortured character, sadly mirroring his recent painful real-life experiences. Brody is clearly the standout, showcasing the subtlety and character acting that gained him a well-deserved Oscar. Brody adds a sense of honesty and heartache that previous Anderson projects may have lacked.
Even though acting talent is abundant in the movie, it is not exactly what the actors say and do that make them stand out. It's the quiet moments, the empty spaces, and the lack of dialogue that help convey their emotional experiences. And when they do speak or deliver a funny quip, it's that much more biting.
'The Darjeeling Limited' is a joy - tragic and touching, yet humorous at the same time. Anderson has clearly outdone himself here. The hope is that he has just begun to scratch the surface of inspired filmmaking, and he will continue to rely less on being unusual and more on making quality films with heart in unconventional ways. If he follows the pattern he's set up in 'Darjeeling' and sticks with genuinely brilliant acting talent, he'll be remembered as one of the great filmmakers of his time.
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