The Darjeeling Limited [Wes Anderson, 2007]

[spoiler-full]

• Pic begins roughly, much of the material teetering on the edge of self-indulgence more than anything, but loses self-interest once the trio gets off the train for the first time.
• What seems to be going down nearly the exact same path as Life Aquatic makes a dramatic turn for the better when the three jump into the a river to save drowning Indian boys. No coincidence; Brody is the only one who fails to save his child and like with his father, experiences his death first-hand. The funeral that follows goes beyond any Anderson material to date, many silent sequences which include Brody's coming to grips with fatherhood [of which he's about to experience].
• The control freak and brutally honest words of Wilson are reflected by his mother, Huston, but he has not completely followed in his mother's footsteps. Whereas she has run away from her family, Wilson insists on reunion.
• Materialism is an important theme in Darjeeling, ironic considering Anderson's always glossy set pieces. Wilson constantly complains of his expensive clothing being borrowed or stolen, which directly contrasts the simple lives of the Indians. After they're kicked off the Limited, Wilson's laminating machine falls off and breaks--the beginning of the end of their materialism as the Satyajit Ray and Powell/Pressburger elements set in at the Indian boy's funeral.
• This motif is also key to both the beginning and end. Bill Murray races to catch the train but is ultimately weighed down by his large suitcases, and misses the train. The somewhat obvious metaphor of luggage equaling emotional baggage is revealed in the end: the brothers are forced to ditch their suitcases and bags in order to catch their next train. They've successfully let go of the burden of their father's death.
• Who is Bill Murray's character and why is he included both in the beginning and the inspired "curtain call" of minor characters portrayed in train compartments? He's the men's father. Notice the look Brody gives Murray when their racing to the Limited, and remember that he's "looking through his father's glasses." Is it a coincidence that their father was killed by a taxi, and Murray being held up by his taxi in the beginning? I think not. Thus in that important scene when the three brothers and their mother "communicate without words," Brody is imagining Murray as having made the train--a sense of closure.
• Cinematography is top notch especially a poignant scene towards the end when Schwartzman stacks rocks upon a feather in a pyramid structure. The camera pulls away to imply that the three are in fact that little stone on top of the enormous mountain: the world doesn't revolve around them.
• Probably the best soundtrack of the year, Darjeeling combines The Kinks' "Strangers" The Rolling Stones' "Play With Fire" with original scores from Satyajit Ray pics. Music is a staple in dramatic Anderson scenes and he continues to choose his songs perfectly.

8/great