The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Here we have a Wes Anderson film, being a Wes Anderson film. A collection of dysfunctional protagonists, this time taking a trip through India to find themselves. As a subversion of the cliché, this film worked well; it turns out that if you go to India to find yourself, there’s a high chance you’re going to end up without having changed in any meaningful way, except perhaps a little more of a superiority complex.

I like films set in restricted settings, and a train is one of the best, because while it’s restricted, its mobile nature means that a variety of secondary settings can still be used. I also like Wes Anderson shots, but this film had a lot of them, all the time, and often it felt that more attention was being paid to the scenery than to the plot. In some films, the plot can be a secondary focus, but they usually make up for it in action sequences. I can’t say that slow camera pans and neatly arranged and colourful stacks of suitcases scratch the same itch, though, which means that the low quality of the plot really sticks out.

Some people seem to really hate this film, but i thought it was nice to watch. It showcases a variety of india’s landscapes, and the side characters all fit the Anderson mould while also having some depth. But the three brothers who are the films protagonists are generally disappointing and unlikeable, with no meaningful character development from beginning to end.