the darjeeling limited

Go see it.

Seriously.

It’s beautiful.

If you like Wes Anderson you will love it. If you consider yourself to be a student of cinema and literature you will love it’s depth and elegance (although if Hollywood movies and best-selling books are more your thing you might not). If you’re looking for a bit of a visual boost, some eye candy to jangle your creativity, it’s perfect too. If you’re looking for inspiration for decorating your home, then this is the movie to see this season.

The India depicted is (like in most Anderson movies) not so much of the present, or even of the past, but one of dreams captured cinematically. The set pieces and locales are astonishing - everything is drenched in a vibrant, fairy-tale exoticism. However, it’s not quite as much of a fashion flick as other Wes Anderson movies have been - despite the help of Mark Jacobs and a large set of absolutely divine Louis Vuiton luggage.

I found this poster for it, and it’s a bit of a odd find as it depicts only Natalie Portman and a tiger. While both are certainly in the movie, they do not appear as more than spoken-of-mirages, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos. But I do absolutely love it’s retro illustrative style, reminiscent of mid-sixties movie posters. It certainly hints to the mystery and style of the movie.

Script-wise, Anderson is back to form - recalling his first (and most critically acclaimed) film: Bottle Rocket.

Anderson’s trio of brothers are, though a return to a familiar subject of disaffected families, one of his most emotionally interesting depictions. Although he does receive a lot of help from his always impeccable casting.

Brody? Schwartzman? Wilson? You can’t go wrong

I’m really hoping that he never collaborates with that Noah Baumbach ever again. I actually quite like Roman Coppola (his CQ was entirely underrated) so I think he was a much better choice as a collaborator than that other guy. They certainly share a certain retro, new-wave, colour-drenched sensibility. I could tell he added a lot of sparkle and elegance to the cinematography and script - but then again, it’s well established that I have a thing for the Coppola family.

Speaking of which, Jason Schwartzman is also quite effective here - I think it’s his sense of humour which most comes out in both his performance and the script (which he also co-wrote), bringing levity to Wes Andersons darker inclinations. .

Here’s also hoping Owen Wilson never succeeds in his recently publicized attempts, because he is a woefully wonderful actor who adds so much undertones and depth to a performance - but damned if doesn’t ever get to show it except for in Wes Anderson movies.