In Wes Anderson's film, The Darjeeling Limited, three estranged brothers take a misguided trip through India after the death of their father, and end up drawing themselves closer as a family.
"I wonder if the three of us would've been friends in real life. Not as brothers, but as people. " - Jack
In Anderson's movie, written in part by himself, Jason Swartzman and Roman Coppola the three Whitman brothers, Francis, Peter, and Jack, all meet on a train in India for a trip across the country that Francis has organized as a means of bringing the three very different men together again.
As the train crosses India Francis struggles to get his brothers to open themselves up to each other. All three men struggle to keep from receding into themselves, Jack has his obsession with his writings and his ex-girlfriend, Peter worries about the upcoming birth of his child and his relationship with his wife, and Francis tries to keep his true motive for the trip secret from his brothers. The landscape of India offers up a completely surreal setting that whisks the brothers seemingly away for a moment, from their own problems, and allows them to focus on their bonds with each other.
"We haven't located us yet. " - Brendan
The close confines of the train compartment eventually force the brothers to begin opening up to each other and working through the rifts caused by the death of their father. The relationship however, still holds some contention, and eventually leads to a fight that causes the brothers to be ejected from the train and left in rural India.
By losing their last sense of familiarity, the brothers are left with only themselves and each other for comfort and survival. As they try to make their way towards some form of civilization they come upon three young boys, brothers, like themselves, caught in a churning river. All three Whitman brothers jump into the water and attempt to save the boys, succeeding in saving 2 of the three.
It is the death of the third brother, that brings the Whitmans to their senses and allows them to see the bond they had been busying trying to chip away at. Anderson's use of the three young Indian boys as a foil to the Whitmans themselves, and allowing the men to see the pain caused by the loss of one brother brings them all closer.
The Whitman's journey is one of self discovery and of the rediscovery of lost bonds. For the brothers the trip across India is more than just a physical journey, it's twists and hardships mirror their relationships with eachother. It is because of this mirroring tendency that it is only when the brothers have been stripped of everything and left in the middle of no-where that they are able to comprehend what they may lose, and see themselves as the detached men they have become.
"You're the two most important people in the world to me. I've never said that before, but it's true, and I want you both to know it. I love you, Peter - Francis
Thank you. -Peter
I love you, Jack. - Francis
I love you, too. - Jack
How did it get to this? - Francis "
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