The Darjeeling Limited

Best known for his fresh own original style, like most of Wes Anderson's films, The Darjeeling Limited is funny, but subtle and consists of a group of characters with strange tastes and likes. Always colourful, showing a great mise-en-scène, the camera tracks passed the set as if floating on air, such ease it is done with. This time Anderson explores the beautiful India showing three brothers who are on a trip to bond with each other after the passing of their father and the dissapearance of their mother. Played by Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson, the three of them make up a pretty funny team. However, even though most of Darjeeling is charming, mostly because of the great looking colourful eye candy images, at times Darjeeling feels a bit empty. Overall the film is coherent in its funniness, but the comedic aspects not always work. It's a certain humour Anderson provides you withw hich can only completely be enjoyed when you and Anderson are exactly on the same length. Else you end up chuckling along rather than laughing hysterically. The best thing about Darjeeling comes at the end, with a beautiful small performance by Anjelica Huston. Yet, the best thing of all can be seen before Darjeeling has even started. This best thing is Hotel Chevalier, a short made by Anderson telling a bit of the past of Schwartzman's character and his relationship with a woman played by Natalie Portman. Introducing the tune Where Do You Go To (My Lovely), a classic hit by Peter Sarstedt, which will linger inside your head hours after both he short and Darjeeling, in which it is also featured, Hotel Chevalier is a tiny little gem which ends with a beautiful shot of Paris seen from a balcony. It is the best thing Anderson offers and shows everything Darjeeling unfortunately lacks.