MOVIE
REVIEW: THE DARJEELING LIMITED
10/18/07
Brothers will be
brothers. It is a special and unique relationship shared by
brothers that can be as tight as a bus ride in India or as
far apart as the different corners of the world. Francis
Whitman (Owen Wilson) arranges a spiritual journey for
himself and his two brothers, Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack
(Jason Schwartzman). Their relationship fell apart after the
passing of their father a year ago. Francis tries to
rekindle the brotherhood by bonding and also surprise them
with a stop in the journey to see their estranged mother
whom he had tracked down. This journey begins on the
Darjeeling Limited which is a train that crosses India. Each
of the dysfunctional brothers brings with them their own bag
of issues, problems and idiosyncrasies. Through thick and
thin though, they will always be brothers . . . a bond that
cannot be broken. They also stylishly bring their own share
of the family luggage; matching Louis Vuitton bags and
cases. What those bags go through makes them worth
mentioning.
This movie was a pleasure to watch. As it usually is with
independent films, it was a nice change of pace. A slice of
human behavior in raw form that is not commonly seen in
movies. There was a comical randomness about each of the
brothers as they show their own peculiarities. Speaking of
being random, the last few times that I’ve ever seen a short
film before the main feature was with all the Pixar movies.
Well, this production has one and it was a fabulous touch.
Not only was it brilliantly scripted, cast, and performed,
it tied in directly to the main feature even though its
story was separate enough to stand alone. Well done, Wes.
Speaking of the brothers’ peculiarities, Francis is the
eldest and the control freak who tries to run the show
taking on the role of parental figure. Peter has had
difficulty letting go of his father and has had trouble
reattaching to the people around him since. Jack is the
sex-crazed, lovesick, hopeless romantic who roams the land
in a suit but no shoes. It is a talented cast that takes on
these complicated characters and even though none of them
truly stands out, their collective performances and
chemistry will make a believer out of you. Already expecting
good things from Owen and Adrien, Jason impressed me the
most having only seen him in one or two movies prior. He has
the most expressive non-expressing face I’ve ever seen. He
was made for these dry humor kind of roles. The script did
nothing but help the actors’ performances. It was weird but
smart. It was simple and complex at the same time, just like
the story itself. The meat of this movie is not so much the
journey on the Darjeeling as it is the journey of the
brothers’ relationship as well as the journey within each of
the brothers lives.
Don’t get me wrong, the journey on the train was
breathtaking. The cinematography was the seasoning on the
meat as you get a taste of India’s people and their culture,
the cities, the villages, and the countryside. Slow motion
was appropriately used at times to heighten the drama of the
moment. The music was classy and fitting. Writer/Director
Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with
Steve Zissou) opted to use original music from Indian films
among others. Wes also opted to bring us another work of art
that magically blends your average everyday characters along
with the oddities of humanity. It is this that gives the
film its charm. Heck, it got to the point that I wanted to
be part of the family. But I warn you, if you like Mr.
Anderson’s work then this is a must see, otherwise, you
might want to think twice.
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
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