Dir. Wes Anderson, US, 2007, 91 mins
Cast: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Amara Khan, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Irfan Khan
Review by Daniella Delaney
If the cold, grey of dreary winter is hitting you hard, get yourself along to Wes Anderson's latest, The Darjeeling Limited. Lush turquoise, vivid emerald and vibrant yellow compete for screen space in this three-brothers-on-a-train-across-India-trying-to-reconcile-with-each-other-and-themselves tale. Anderson has ramped up the rich palette of colours India is famous for, guaranteeing every scene is a delicious visual, as well as his usual comedic treat.
Darjeeling is the most accessible film Anderson has made to date and teams up Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Adrien Brody (King Kong) and Jason Schwartzman (Shopgirl) in the tale of three siblings who've each lost their own way, as well as each other. The brothers haven't been in touch since their father's funeral. And none of them is having a particularly happy time of it. Jack (Schwartzman) is struggling to escape his last relationship, Peter (Brody) is days from becoming a parent with a woman he always figured he'd divorce. Completing the trio is Wilson as Francis, the eldest of the three brothers and the organiser of the trip. A road accident has left him swathed in bandages and relying on swigs of extra strong Indian cough mixture to ward off depression – kind of poignant when you consider the star's recent real life troubles.
As the three embark on their journey it becomes clear that Francis is the controlling one (with his unbending itinerary, and ride-along personal assistant), Peter the repressed one (who secretly yearns to be the eldest son) and Jack the always-on-heat one – even managing a quickie with beguiling train stewardess Rita, all fabulous emerald eyeshadow, and a fine debut from Brit actress Amara Karan, next to be seen in Ol Parker's St Trinian's.
Cramped train compartment conditions make the perfect backdrop as the estranged brothers first get on each other's nerves and then gradually melt down over their differences, before coming to terms with their father's recent death and their mother's desertion.
As the boys' mother, Anderson favourite Angelica Huston once again demonstrates how she's cornered the market in no-nonsense and steely, but at the same time seductive and wide-eyed female roles (think Eleanor Zissou in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Morticia in The Addams Family). And she's not the only one of the director's Hollywood favourites to play a part in the film – look out for Natalie Portman in her most revealing role to date and Bill Murray in surely the most low key and quirkiest role taken on by an A-lister this year.
You can't blame Portman and Murray for wanting to be on the credits though. The Darjeeling Limited is Anderson at his offbeat best. So much more than just a road movie on a train. The colours and evocative Indian backdrop are the perfect cure for Seasonal Affective Disorder and you're guaranteed to leave the cinema humming 'Where do you go to my lovely?' and with a strange yearning for a touch of self-discovery. Wonder whether a weekend break on the Eurostar would have the same effect?
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