Anderson's new film impresses

I remember first seeing the trailer for The Darjeeling Limited a couple of months ago while I was sitting in the theater waiting for some other movie to start. Before the trailer was even halfway through, I was certain I knew the director. The wide shots, the whip pans and the story of family relations-it all pointed to Wes Anderson. And as far as I'm concerned, Wes Anderson typically points to films that I will be sure to enjoy. The Darjeeling Limited is no exception.

The story seems simple enough; three brothers ride a train through India in an attempt to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Complexity comes from the characters; their reactions to one another, their dialogue, their back stories and their body language all come together to build people that are worth caring for.

Owen Wilson, a veteran member of the Wes Anderson gang, plays Francis, the oldest of the brothers who devises the entire spiritual scheme. Wilson, as always, is a treat to watch and consistently manages to be funny without even trying.

Adrien Brody plays Peter, the middle child who seems to have commandeered most of the belongings of the brothers' late father. Although new to the Anderson crew, Brody fits in as though he's appeared in every film.

Jason Schwartzman plays Jack, the youngest. Of all the brothers, we are given the most clues about Jack's past and character. While Francis drives the events that occur in the story, Jack frequently seems to be at the helm of the emotional momentum.

Schwartzman, like Wilson, is not new to Wes Anderson's shenanigans, given that Schwartzman started his acting career by starring in Anderson's excellent Rushmore. Through some fateful cosmic alignment, I was lucky enough to sit down with Mr. Schwartzman and hear about how he got his start.

"I wasn't planning on becoming an actor. I had dreamt of it, I suppose, when I was a kid, but you know it wasn't really a possibility," Schwartzman said.

Originally interested in music, Schwartzman played drums in his band Phantom Planet (most likely remembered as that band that did the theme song for The O.C., but should be remembered for a whole slew of great songs).

"When I was 16...my mom rented me Harold and Maude, The Graduate and Dog Day Afternoon...that was the first time that a movie had made me feel the way music did...I remember saying to myself, 'I don't know what I'll end up getting to do in my lifetime...well hopefully whatever it is will make someone feel this way,'" Schwartzman said.

Schwartzman is also the star of The Darjeeling Limited's short film prologue, Hotel Chevalier. It is through pieces like Hotel Chevalier that we are able to learn more about Jack than the other characters, but still not enough to know exactly what makes him tick. The ambiguity and hazy details about the brothers' pasts are what give them their authenticity.

The music from The Darjeeling Limited is likely something to be remembered. Juxtaposing Indian music with rock bands like The Kinks and The Rolling Stones sounds like it could be a recipe for cacophony, but it is actually a wonderfully fitting soundtrack.

Strangely, The Darjeeling Limited is a film that, after the brothers are off the train, feels like it is constantly almost over. Time after time we are presented with events in the story that seem as though they could arguably be a logical closing point.

And yet, the continuance through these faux conclusions fits with the unclear history of the brothers. It's good to know there are directors out there that you can always count on; when you walk into a theater to see one of their movies, you know what you're getting yourself into.

Hopefully Mr. Anderson (along with Mr. Wilson, Mr. Brody and Mr. Schwartzman) will come back soon to bring us yet another unique cinematic experience.