Tina and I managed to get away from the apartment long enough yesterday to see the new Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limited. If you’re a fan of his work, but were put off by the inaccessibility of The Life Aquatic, I think you’ll be pleased to find that The Darjeeling Limitedis a fine return to form. In the film, three brothers (played by Jason Schwartzman, Adrian Brody and Owen Wilson) take a trip across India on a passenger train while trying to deal with their grief for their father’s death, as well as longstanding issues with their absent mother. It’s simpler in scope to than Anderson’s epic comedies, and that simplicity makes it all the more personal.

Tina says that in many ways it’s an update of Bottle Rocket, and I think there’s some truth to that, particularly in the dynamics of the three main characters and the “size” of the film. However, it’s a much more mature film than Bottle Rocket, and its characters and relationships are more subtle and nuanced. In many ways, it’s less an excercise in film language than a genuine attempt to unravel the emotional lives of three characters.

Anderson played around with serious drama a bit in Life Aquatic, particularly in the sudden and surprising death of Ned. There’s a similar moment here, but it feels less like violence done to the film, and more like a natural part of the story. A sense of sadness stemming from family dysfunction has been a pervasive theme in all of Anderson’s films, but in Darjeeling it seems a lot less academic and a lot more real. Each of the brothers longs to feel connected to his siblings, but the emotional failures of their parents keep them apart.

I am admittedly a fan of all of Wes Anderson’s films, even Life Aquatic, so I’m not sure how unbiased my opinion really is when I enthusiastically recommend The Darjeeling Limited. It’s possibly the best film I’ve seen all year, and I feel the odd urge to return to the theatre for repeat viewings. Being a father now, that’s probably not going to happen, but I will definitely be watching it over and over again on DVD some day.