I recently watched The Darjeeling Limited for the first time, and ended up loving it.
Wes Anderson's films are like works of cinematic confection, every frame is absolutely pristine in its visual style and craftsmanship. That's only increased with time, the absolute precise perfection of his filmmaking getting more and more impossibly intricate. 2007's The Darjeeling Limited is full to the brim with that precision, but it's early enough in Anderson's filmography to also feel human and imperfect and warm in the best possible ways. The story follows three brothers who set out on a spiritual journey across India following the death of their father.
One of the final scenes of the film, linked below, is a great encapsulation of why the movie is a perfect balance of style and heart.
Going to India for a spiritual experience is a cliche as old as time. It was a cliche that I feared would bring down the movie, 'using' the location and its culture as nothing more than a way for the privileged central trio to have a journey of catharsis. But I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing perspective the film takes. Because, in the end, it's not really the stereotypical Asian spiritualism that 'heals' these characters.
Instead, it is the brothers' individual experiences which directly allow them to come to revelations about their own personal lives - Peter (Adrien Brody) failing to save a child, for example, correlates to his fear of being a father. Even the slightly silly spiritual ritual that the brothers perform is exactly that: a silly invention of Francis' (Owen Wilson), something to make them feel better and bond them.
All of these things are as a result of the brothers spending quality time together, of understanding one another, and working through their grief together. India just happens to be the setting for this. The Youtube essayist, Nerdwriter, distilled the way The Darjeeling Limited explores communication between the siblings through the dialogue and cinematography in his video 'How Brothers Communicate', which I'd highly recommend.
In a previous article in this series, I wrote about the train journey in Spirited Away. How the train itself is a symbol for the internal journey that Chihiro goes through. The Darjeeling Limited does the same here. The train metaphor is simple and effective, and Anderson finds different ways to explore the motif - for example, we see an unnamed business man (Bill Murray) failing to catch the train at the start, perhaps representing their late father. It all culminates in the (truly impressive) final sequence in which we see the various characters in the film as if they are all on the train, moving onward through life.
Another simple but effective metaphor comes in the form of the suitcases the brothers lug through the film, each of which is initialled JLW. Peter, Francis and Jack carry their father's baggage throughout the film literally - we see it get loaded on and off various modes of transport, dragged through roads, stacked and re-stacked, taking up room in the tiny train compartment. Finally, in the scene above, the brothers free themselves of the burden, running joyfully for the train... together.
Anderson's filmmaking is full of sharp editing and smooth camera work, particularly characterised by quick pans and edits. The Darjeeling Limited has plenty of that, however it's also peppered with a few slow-motion sequences, set to the Kinks, that feel all the more impactful because of how different they feel to the rest of the film. During the funeral towards the middle of the film, the slow motion feels reflective and emotional, whereas here it feels cathartic and freeing. Over the movie, the brothers have grown to understand one another, and in doing so, can now free themselves of the stifling grief they felt for their father which had rooted them in the past.
Their relief is palpable in the little laugh they share, the quiet thoughtfulness in which they sit together side by side, and Peter finally removing his sunglasses (which were once his father's): they have found a way to let go.
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