Shadows on the Wall | Father Mother Sister Brother

Father Mother Sister Brother

dir-scr Jim Jarmusch
prd Charles Gillibert, Joshua Astrachan, Carter Logan, Atilla Salih Yucer
with Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore, Luka Sabbat, Sarah Greene, Francoise Lebrun, Philippe Azoury, Beatrice Domond
release US 24.Dec.25
25/US Mubi 1h50

VENICE FILM FEST

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Constructed as a triptych, this astute look at family dynamics finds intriguing echoes across three short visits between immediate relatives. Writer-director Jim Jarmusch is particularly skilled at capturing the offhanded rhythms of human interaction, especially when things get rather awkward. The film has lovely visual echoes in the colours of the costumes and the way the characters circle around each other. And the actors give wonderfully earthy performances.

After several years, Emily (Bialik) meets up with her brother Jeff (Driver), and they drive to visit their father (Waits) in his isolated lakehouse. They catch up on things and enjoy the wintry view, then leave before dinner. In Dublin, sisters Timothea (Blanchett) and Lilith (Krieps) are having an annual afternoon tea with their novelist mother (Rampling). This is more than enough time together for the year. And in Paris, Skye (Moore) and her twin brother Billy (Sabbat) rediscover their close bond as they clear out their unconventional, recently deceased parents' apartment, revisiting family memories.

Repeated elements include family photos on mantlepieces and skateboarders in the streets, discussions about tap water and possibly fake Rolexes. Each of these characters has a fascinating inner life that even those closest to them can't quite fathom, even as the three sets of siblings have distinct ways of communicating with each other. These segments aren't plot driven; rather they unfold through the textures that are created between people who have an emotional link they can't describe.

Waits is terrific as a man who has always been quirky, and his kids don't really know why he likes living "just a step away from the so-called real world". Driver is dryly hilarious as the over-literal Jeff opposite the superbly deadpan Bialik. Blanchett and Krieps have some fun with their very opposite siblings, while a silently scene-stealing Rampling expresses her bemusement with them. And Moore and Sabbat have a low-key groove that's mesmerising, on the same wavelength even if they haven't seen each other in a while.

These people feel the need to see each other, even if it's rarely, and even though they have little in common. The script centres on the strained moments, completely avoiding conversations about issues like politics or art, which makes the film feel somewhat theatrical and artificial, even though scenes play out with natural silences and witty realism. And the point is that each of us is ultimately unknowable, even to those who should be closest. But we know we need each other.

themes, language 30.Nov.25

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