Movie Trailer: The Darjeeling Limited
Synopsis: An emotional comedy about three brothers
re-forging family bonds. The eldest, played by Wilson, hopes to
reconnect with his two younger siblings by taking them on a train
trip across the vibrant and sensual landscape of India.
Movie Stills: (Swiped from Yahoo Movies)
Times Online Review: Kevin Maher
Theres something distant, if not perversely aloof, about the
movies of the director Wes Anderson. His frames are crammed with
miscellaneous yet rigorously controlled bric-a-brac. His sets are
gaudy testaments to art-design overdrive. His preferred performance
method is deadpan. His movies, such as Rushmore and The Royal
Tenenbaums, tend to drive audiences into two camps: those who see
them as emotionally dead baubles wrapped in self-regarding irony;
and those who see them as the apotheosis of film
craftsmanship.
The Darjeeling Limited, Andersons latest venture, is hardly going
to bridge that gap in perception. The movie tackles spiritualism
and happiness by sending three bickering brothers, Francis, Peter
and Jack Whitman (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman),
to India on the titular train for a journey of self-discovery. The
men havent spoken since their fathers funeral and each is
burdened with a tragic character flaw: Francis is suicidal; Peter
is fleeing from his relationship; and Jack is recovering from a
broken heart. Along the way they squabble, are ejected from the
train, search for their long-lost mother (Anjelica Huston) and try
to find spiritual purification.
That all of this is done tongue-in-cheek rubbishes the films
emotional aims. Yet the devil, as always with Anderson, is in the
detail. The way that the older brother Francis orders food for his
younger siblings and the unspoken paternal affection between
Francis and Jack when combined with Andersons smart use of pop
classics and gorgeous slow-motion photography create something
compelling and emotionally satisfying. It may not have you weeping
in the aisles, but it will be with you for days after you see
it.
