Whatever else you might say about Wes Anderson, you’ve got to admit that the man has panache. Of all the filmmakers working today, Anderson has one of the most recognizable, distinctive styles in the business. He is practically a genre in and of himself, which has its positive and negative consequences. It is a style that tends to polarize people almost as much as most political issues; after seeing a single one of his films, a person will likely be either pro- or anti-Anderson.
I happen to reside in the party of people who worship the Andersonian technique in an almost cult-like fashion, though I do have my own personal criticisms of his films. They frequently walk the fine line between pretension and intelligence, and his dialogue can be overly pointed and obvious at times.
Yet his aesthetic sense is brilliant: every shot is imbued with beautifully saturated colors and meticulously chosen furnishings that immediately give the viewer an exact portrait of the worlds in which his characters exist.
Anderson’s latest creation, “The Darjeeling Limited,” does not stray far from his traditional technique. Three brothers reunite after a year of separation that followed their father’s premature death by taxi. Led by the eldest brother, Francis (Owen Wilson), they meet up on a train in India in order to experience a spiritual journey together. Of course, as any Andersonian might expect, each brother is far too troubled for a single moment of the trip to go according to plan. Jack (Jason Schwartzman) has just broken up with his girlfriend and obsessively checks her voicemail to see what (or who) she’s been doing since they split. Peter (Adrian Brody) has abandoned his seven-and-a-half month pregnant wife (whom he always assumed he would divorce) in order to join his estranged brothers. Francis’ face is bandaged every which way and his ankle is fractured due to a violent car accident. They down powerful Indian cough syrup as they lie to and manipulate each other. Trapped in a cramped train compartment, they must come to terms with the death of their father as well as their strained relationships with each other, or else swiftly self-destruct.
The film itself is not as cohesive as either of Anderson’s last two films, “The Life Aquatic” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” At times it feels as out of control as the brothers’ lives, which is an interesting but frustrating enactment of the emotional trajectory of the movie. The dynamic between the actors is somewhat inconsistent and it is occasionally difficult to determine whether certain moments of disconnect are between the characters or the actors. Anderson has an obvious fondness for certain actors, whom he casts repeatedly, which can be problematic when they aren’t quite suited for the part. Schwartzman delivers excellently and Brody is decent, but Wilson’s performance feels somewhat stilted and empty. Of course, it is difficult when watching him to ignore his recent suicide attempt, especially when he is portraying a character in this film that has a similar experience. Perhaps this wasn’t the correct film for Wilson to choose at this time in his life.
Despite all this, there are moments in this film, like in all of Anderson’s films, that feel transcendent, almost spiritual. Anderson has a sneaky way of building up an emotional whirlpool and suddenly releasing it upon his audience in abrupt, unexpected ways. There is a beautiful scene that juxtaposes two funerals that the brothers go to, one past and one present, which creates a moment of catharsis not only for the brothers but for the audience as well.
What matters most about this film is not that it is less accomplished than Anderson’s last two films but that it is still more creative and moving than most films currently being made. Anderson is very young and very gifted, and if continues at the rate he’s been going, he could be one of the most prolific filmmakers of his time. “The Darjeeling Limited” has its, well, limits, but in the end it does something much more important than most films. Rather than showing us a bright, happy future for his characters, Anderson simply lets us know that they’re going to be okay. Somehow, that’s more comforting than all the happy endings in the world.
