Wes Anderson is a rare phenomenon in contemporary Hollywood; he directs, writes screenplays, and gets involved with almost every aspect of film making. In that respect, he is in a rather exclusive league with Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez (he "chops, shoots and scores" his movies) etc. Even more importantly, his films tend to deal with certain "personal" problematics of the director: identity, in general. So, at this point, we can call Anderson an "auteur". His latest film, "The Darjeeling Limited"(2007) is a well balanced, exuberantly whimsy, humane without being humanistic, engrossing film. In short, it is a surprisingly excellent film.
The film has a separate prologue, a short film of about 12 minutes called "Hotel Chevalier", starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman (by the way, anyone in love with Natalie's luxurious hair will be disapponted. Shot right after the movie "V for Vendetta", she sports a US army kind of a hair cut). In the film, Jack Whitman (Schwartzman) is living at "Hotel Chevalier" for some indefinite amount of time. He is surprised by a call from his girl-friend (or ex-girlfriend) (Played by Natalie Portman). She is in town and wants his room number. It is made clear very early that the relation between Jack and his girlfriend is not ideal; he clearly is trying to keep away from her, and yet, it is hard-to-do-so for him.Jack suffers her with a servile fascination, tinged with an inner force of repressed anger. Well, not as cliche as that previous sentence sounds, but something like that. Jack hurries across his suit, tidies everything up, bathes, dresses, makes another warm bath for her, and then waits. He even sets up a background music for her [Peter Sarstedt's "Where do you go to(My Lovely)!!Natalie's character is a mercurial tomboy, chewing a tooth-pick all the time. They talk, get to bed, and eventually have sex. She sports love bites and other bruises on her thighs and arms; they both ask each other whether they have slept with anyone else or not, and, both lie.Soon we perceive that this sex is a farewell act; the last nod before becoming forever estranged. She asks him: "Whatever happens, I don't wanna lose you as a friend"; he replies: "I promise, I will never be your friend, No matter what.Ever.". She whispers:"If we fuck tonight, we will feel like shit tomorrow".He says:"That's OK with me". She says: "I love you.I never hurt you on purpose."; he says "I don't care". And then follows one of the most beautiful slo-mo tracking shots I have seen in a long, long time. Natalie's character stands by the wooden bureau naked, looking like a condescending geisha (not by any coincident, one of "The Darjeeling Limited"s posters feature a Japanese wood-block painting of a geisha. Jack drapes her with a yellow Hotel Chevalier Bathrobe (the symbol will be repeated). The film ends with the couple looking over the Paris landscape from the balcony, to the tune of the song "Where do you go to(My Lovely)?". The whole film exudes a Fellinisque humor and a full-blooded, if not a little amused, embracement of life in its broadest sense.
I have spoiled the movie with this spoiler because there is a chance you will not be able to see this prologue in your theatre. Although it is not essential to see it in order to enjoy the main film, there are repeated allusions to the character of Natalie in the film. But now, let us concentrate on the main film.
In the film, three brothers, Francis(Owen Wilson), Peter(Adrien Brody), and Jack (Schwartzman), who have not been much in contact, have a reunion after one is almost killed in a motorcycle crash(Francis), another is expecting a baby in 15 days(Peter), and they take a journey on a fictional train (called Darjeeling Limited) through Rajasthan (Alas!If only such lovely trains were really there!).
The reunion is convened by Francis, whose head bandages make him look....well, strange, to say the least. Having nearly died (possibly intentionally), he now embraces life and wants to Really Get to Know his younger brothers. They are Peter, expecting a child from a wife he always expected to divorce any day, and Jack , who dials all the way home to eavesdrop on his former girlfriend's(Natalie Portman) answering machine(Jack knows the password). "I want us to become brothers again," Francis vows, "and to become Enlightened."
Francis is presumably obscenely rich, as he has a bald-from-birth assistant, Brandon (Wally Wolodarsky), who carries a printer and a laminating machine around in a different coach, creates detailed itinerary for the brothers and does almost everything for them. Francis is the compulsive type, which is something the younger brothers detest, they had enough of that from their long-lost mother (Angelica Houston) who has abandoned them long ago. Francis wants three of them to "become brothers" again. Francis also has a secret agenda: To meet their mother who is a nun now. They visit Hindu temples and pray in some of the most bizarre ways humanly imaginable.
Now, as you might be thinking now, if these three brothers really got changed by a silly train journey, then this film would have been a truly "THIS MOVIE SUCKS!!" contender. But no, the brothers sink even deeper into their deeply ingrained nature, only they start to accept it a tad better. The movie moves across scene after scene of whimsical humor and fun, with interludes of suddenly sobering experiences. In that way, one can say it does not have a tight plot, but the true charm of this movie in the very fact that it does not run like an arrow, but takes any course its engrossing self-absorption dictates it to take.
Another good thing about this film is the way it uses India as a backdrop. The makers of the film seem to have a good idea about what India is. As a result, India is not something exotic in the film, but a true backdrop with rather complex charms. The INDIAN STEREOTYPES are not seen; the "Sweet-Lime Girl"(Amara Karan, in a very measured performance for a debutant) from the train looks very Indian, but she smokes, talks in a "phirangi" accent, and is absolutely uninhibited about sex. Not very Indian, for some blunt-headed fanatics. But in exchange, she manages to look very believable.
The casting is brilliant. The three principal actors gel and conflict brilliantly. I suppose some will say that the film does not fly to the target. Well, the film does not have a target either. The film itself is the target. It does not have a plot either,in a strict sense.Wes Anderson, somewhat like early Satyajit Ray (by whom, he confesses, he was influenced), is deeply concerned about the characters only, and his camera focuses in to expose the humane vulnerabilities of the characters with a chuckle of understanding. If someone wants to see a routine drama or a screwball comedy, they better avoid this film. Wes Anderson, very clearly, does not believe in any semblance of such formulas.
The film uses music from various Bengali films, mostly from Ray's oeuvre, as background music with considerably success. The music works as companion pieces, sometimes as counterpoint, but never tries to dictate what we are supposed to feel.
All in all, this a very very good film, one of the most refreshing ones in recent years. It deserves a 4&1/2 rating for being such a good movie. But to get a 5,to become a truly great movie, Anderson's self-absorption needs to achieve a new height of sublimity. In a certain sense, Anderson reminds us of an young Woody Allen, exploring his own identity, vulnerabilities a little tentatively. In future, we might see an "Annie Hall" from him.At least, we can always hope.
BAIDURYA CHAKRABARTI
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