The Darjeeling Limited (2007) Review

 

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

The Darjeeling Limited follows the 3 Whitman brothers, on a journey of self discovery as they reunite on a train ride across India to see their mother, following the death of their father a year prior. 

A classic trend I’ve noticed with Wes Anderson movies is the importance of family. Often times, at the start, it’s a broken family, one that in some way or another has been fractured and the end goal is about recognizing your differences and coming together regardless of those differences because in the end, family is all you’ve got sometimes. What separates Darjeeling Limited however is it’s not about bringing together a broken family, nor even having them fully accept one another. No, it’s the journey. One chaotic train, motorcycle, and foot trodden journey thats own goal is to teach them the importance of letting go of this picture they have in their heads about what family should be and more what it is to them personally. 

I love too that they feel and act like brothers (especially ones that have a fickle relationship). They’re petty, overbearing, secretive, and just plain awkward at times. It’s nice seeing that from the perspective of someone who has a similar relationship to his siblings at times. Each must learn to open up and remove the bandages so to speak. In Francis’ case, quite literally. For Jack, it’s growing the balls to forget his ex-wife. And for Peter it’s simply about being there for his wife and newborn son and creating the family he never really had. 

The movie has a lovely cast, starring Waris Ahluwalia, Anjelica Huston, Amara Karan, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and Adrien Brody. Brody probably gets the most emotional range to tackle here and while his performance is subtle, he really resonates with me as a character. As does Wilson, the older brother who had the ability to be an incredibly annoying character but is played with a sincere earnesty that is rather sweet to see. 

The Darjeeling Limited, directed by Wes Anderson, is all about a family of characters with loads baggage, both literal and figurative, that they cannot seem to shed because they have yet to understand that they would be less encumbered without it. It’s about filling that void within themselves and just connecting to one another and letting each other see themselves for who they truly are. 

7/10