A good plot line follows a journey, but a great story also unfolds the past that has led the characters to the present. As I finished watching The Darjeeling Limited I could not help but feel satisfied as everything came full circle. The film follows three brothers on a their dysfunctional spiritual journey through India. They try to cope with what the loss of their father and what it means for them as a family.
I realized as I guessed at each brother's nature and what it meant for the movie that maybe there is psychological aspect to this type of film that appeals to me. I like to hear personal stories, to go beneath the superficial surface that binds so many movies.
The way these grown men still compete, argue, and try to distance themselves as they surely must have done as young boys showed to me how certain parts of who we are never change. Their individual personalities represent parts of a whole, almost as a reaction to their being a part of the "whole." The brothers' relationships with each other have clearly defined who they are. Like most people they were shaped by their families, and even their rebellions like unconventional poisonous-snake-buying/pill-popping behaviors are symptomatic of belonging to their family.
Most movies have obvious plot twists to develop the story line, instead this film utilized the wonderful storytelling tool of symbolism. Symbols of who they were, where they had been, and where they were going. I largely attribute the symbolism in the films for the way that in Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola's collaborations there is always that feeling of not quite knowing what is going on because we must interpret instead of being told, thereby uncovering the plot little by little. This is clear in the fact that the prequel is available but not always presented with the film, leaving the story open to how the viewer chooses to experience it.
Every pause I take to admire one stunning aspect or particular symbol seems to make the full creative power of the film become clearer. Unlike movie adaptations of books, these films were clearly written with the filming in mind. The way the story is told ties in so perfectly with how it is portrayed on the screen. The beauty of it being that they understand the story so fully that everything about how it is presented- music, lighting, costumes- fits perfectly into the telling of the story.
I realized as I guessed at each brother's nature and what it meant for the movie that maybe there is psychological aspect to this type of film that appeals to me. I like to hear personal stories, to go beneath the superficial surface that binds so many movies.
The way these grown men still compete, argue, and try to distance themselves as they surely must have done as young boys showed to me how certain parts of who we are never change. Their individual personalities represent parts of a whole, almost as a reaction to their being a part of the "whole." The brothers' relationships with each other have clearly defined who they are. Like most people they were shaped by their families, and even their rebellions like unconventional poisonous-snake-buying/pill-popping behaviors are symptomatic of belonging to their family.
Most movies have obvious plot twists to develop the story line, instead this film utilized the wonderful storytelling tool of symbolism. Symbols of who they were, where they had been, and where they were going. I largely attribute the symbolism in the films for the way that in Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola's collaborations there is always that feeling of not quite knowing what is going on because we must interpret instead of being told, thereby uncovering the plot little by little. This is clear in the fact that the prequel is available but not always presented with the film, leaving the story open to how the viewer chooses to experience it.
Every pause I take to admire one stunning aspect or particular symbol seems to make the full creative power of the film become clearer. Unlike movie adaptations of books, these films were clearly written with the filming in mind. The way the story is told ties in so perfectly with how it is portrayed on the screen. The beauty of it being that they understand the story so fully that everything about how it is presented- music, lighting, costumes- fits perfectly into the telling of the story.
And, best of all... The films are witty.
I adore Wes Anderson's films, but I do not think they are for everyone. They are not necessarily films that are meant for people to "get." They are mysteries, adventures for the imagination. They are slightly unhinged, out of the ordinary in the fantastic way that stories are allowed to be. We are transported from the over publicized reality of this world, and taken on this comedic look at humans and life, where nothing is spelled out if you are not clever enough to look for it. You draw your own conclusions about what is meant in the curious endings, because like all good stories the films make sure to leave you with a sense of wonder and amusement.
