Wed 29th Nov – In der Wolken

29th Nov 2023 was largely spent watching the formation of a storm, from its beginning as a distant, discontented wind to its evolution into a dark, brash overlord. An uproar of thunder. Sleek lightning across the ocean. I thought a lot about clouds today.

As the storm eased into the evening, I happily watched Wes Anderson’s Darjeeling Limited. This is easily my favourite Wes Anderson movie, a fact that I well telegraph. For me, it stands out due to its consistency in characters. Instead of trying to have a dozen main characters, the movie centres on the three brothers, and allows them to carry out the story by themselves. This reinforces the central theme of the film: to make what you can – and consciously decide what you want – out of relationships that are difficult. It is the simplicity of the plot that gives space to watch how each brother deals with their personal (and private) life choices, while enduring the shared loss of their deceased father and then also the shared loss of their absent mother. If Wes Anderson had succumbed to his tendency towards fragmented narratives and a chaotic ensemble, we’d lose the intimacy we gain with the brothers as they travel through the new (India) and the old (their father’s death; failed relationships; habits). And that intimacy is felt acutely between us as an audience and each brother individually, rather than between the brothers themselves. The film treats each brother as separate. Occasionally they find solace in each other. But more often they are reflecting on themselves, and what life they are (separately) returning to after India.

I could watch this opening scene every day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcjmyNXtDdI
Adrian Brody is the true star of the movie. A close second is the luggage. The moment when he looks back at Bill Murray running while he overtakes, in his dad’s prescription glasses he can’t see out of, and This Time Tomorrow kicks in – perfection. The slow motion lunge with the luggage, then his drawn out gaze as the train pulls away with him on the back, just watching with resignation as the platform retreats – gorgeous.