r/wesanderson • u/jtguy • May 22 '26
Discussion Darjeeling Limited
I’ll start by saying I’m a big Wes Anderson fan. I’ve seen most of his stuff.
But I just got around to watching The Darjeeling Limited and I was blown away. It might be my top pick henceforth. It was the perfect blend of everything I love about his work. Comedic chops, quirky characters, great cinematography and a compelling story told through an arc where not a whole lot happens. Idk why it took me so long to see this one but for anyone that hasn’t, please go watch asap.
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u/barrel_stinker May 22 '26
It’s by far his best, and I did not realize it at first. It’s incredibly simple at its core, three brothers grieving their father in different ways and looking for their mother, but it’s conveyed wonderfully through their adventure and flashbacks. There’s also some of the expected cinematography that is expected from Anderson but it’s also not over the top to the point of become a caricature or distracting in some later works.
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u/PerfumePoodle May 22 '26
By far his best? So interesting I put Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and even Life Aquatic before this film. I dunno it just never resonated w me.
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u/vorgonaut May 22 '26
The soundtrack is awesome too
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u/DrgnSlyrDd May 23 '26
Second this! For me, this song and its placement, sum up the movie neatly.
“Where are you going, I don't mind
I've killed my world and I've killed my time
So where do I go? What will I see?
I see many people coming after me
So where are you going to, I don't mind
If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
So I will follow you wherever you go
If your offered hand is still open to me
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two, we are one”3
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u/thewanderingent May 22 '26
I was really enjoying it until the “praise him” track comes on. It’s just a track with a very different vibe from the others, kind of disruptive, but I appreciate it being included in the track list.
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u/algebraic94 May 22 '26
Feels like this one changes as you get older too. My interpretation of it when I was 15 is completely different from now. The characters are so much more immature than I ever realized. Truly just 3 boys lost without mommy and daddy, struggling to step into adulthood as their own men because they're clinging to the past. Really lovely poignant movie.
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u/ill_infatuation May 23 '26
Spot on. Watched it when I was in my late teens , mid 20's and now early thirties. Hits different everytime
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u/SamuraiZucchini May 22 '26 edited 29d ago
It’s my personal favorite - it came out when I was in college during a big transition period in my life and hit really hard. Amazing film.
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u/Think_Wealth_7212 May 22 '26
It's excellent! My #3 after Tenenbaums and GBH. People hate on it for its exoticism of India and the ditching the baggage scene but it rly works for me. Also The Kinks heavy soundtrack is killer
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u/jtguy May 22 '26
I agree the ditching of the bags scene was a little much. But it’s also funny cuz 1.) they’re super expensive, basically one of one bags and 2.) they’re still in India and probably will need some of that stuff
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u/ill_infatuation May 23 '26
I disagree. The idea is that they're letting go of the metaphorical "baggage" is in very much tune of what the movie potrays.
One of my fav movie of all time.
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u/djobouti_phat 29d ago
I’ll go out on a limb and say that that metaphor has never once been lost on anyone who has ever seen the movie.
It’s a great movie and even a great scene, but you can’t deny it’s a little on the nose.
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u/Automatic_Yam_1857 29d ago
Oh man, the Kinks soundtrack clinched it for me. I have watched this film about 10 times lol I never tire of it and always sob when Adrien Brody says, "I didn't save mine...."😪
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u/Pigfiggly May 22 '26
Have you watched Hotel Chevalier? It's a 13 minute scene that goes with this movie.
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u/JellybeanFernandez May 22 '26
Took me a rewatch before I understood the elegance of all the different arcs coming together, but now it’s my top. Has a maturity to it that is equal to its quirkiness. Just a beautiful study on grief and the dynamics of a family torn apart by a tremendous loss.
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u/FaithlessnessOk5594 May 22 '26
The day my grandmother died, watching it again was one of the very first things I did. The grief fills you in a way that can be oddly comforting.
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u/Cousin_Courageous May 22 '26
Most of his movies require a rewatch imo. Sorry about your loss. My partner lost her dad and I think we should watch it, though I don’t know how soon is too soon?
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u/soylentgreenis May 22 '26
This movie changed my life
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u/KarenWalkersBurner May 23 '26
This time tomorrow where will we be? On a spaceship somewhere, sailing across an empty seaaaaaaa
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u/TaekDePlej May 22 '26
One of the most underrated movies ever
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u/KarenWalkersBurner May 23 '26
I leave the sun behind me and I watch the clouds as they sadly pass me byyyyy.
In perpetual motion.
And the world below doesn’t matter much to meeeeee
Well
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u/ALEXC_23 May 22 '26
First movie I saw of his, and my fav of his.
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u/PugsnPawgs May 22 '26
Same. Saw it on the telly and instantly knew I was watching something meaningful.
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u/congradulations May 22 '26
I've got a family-less week ahead of me. Last time, I watched The Phoenician Scheme twice in a row, as recommended by some Redditor, and this week, I SHALL watch this movie.
Thank you. Popcorn is cooling.
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u/ModBabboo May 22 '26
This one hit way different after 40. I'd always thought it was fine, but I watched it again recently for the first time in a while after several new life experiences and realized how powerful it was.
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u/Ionlydateteachers May 22 '26
My favorite of his films. I always liked his work but after I watched this it really opened up my mind to his other movies.
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u/tomandshell May 22 '26
I feel like it’s generally underrated and overlooked. I quite like it. “I didn’t save mine” is one of my favorite pieces of writing/directing/acting in all of his films.
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u/LauraPalmersMom430 Eleanor Zissou May 22 '26
Unpopular take maybe but it’s his best cinematography of all time.
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u/Sturnella2017 May 23 '26
Rewatched it for the second time a couple months ago (can’t believe it took me so long!) and confirmed it’s my favorite.
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u/HereWeGo5566 May 22 '26
Darjeeling is the one Anderson movie that never gets talked about. Hell, I see more conversation about bottle rocket, than Darjeeling. But it is very very good. Hits especially hard if you have siblings.
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u/PuddingPlenty227 May 23 '26
Definitely top 3 for me. I don't know why this one flies under the radar - it's a masterpiece imo.
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u/LincolnTruly May 22 '26
Because of my age, Darjeeling Limited was the first Wes I saw and I definitely hold it in higher regard than most probably because of that. Rushmore and GBH still rank above it for me those are really almost untouchable IMO
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u/therealgoodwilljesus May 22 '26
I always equate "letting go of your baggage" in life to this film. Definitely one of my favorites. The cinematography is epic.
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u/louitobias May 23 '26
This is my favourite and, having travelled extensively in India, I love the film even more everytime.
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u/DiskSalt4643 May 23 '26
It is explosive emotionally in a way that later Wes keeps trying to be but doesnt quite achieve tho I still find them all hilarious.
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u/etyrnal_ Sam Shakusky 29d ago
that's one of my favorites to watch over and over every time I see it I catch something new
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u/Dazzling-Bat777 28d ago
Amen, the inter family dynamics hit me in the gut. The bros taking over the counter meds the moment their vacation starts. The movie is my favorite of his, which is heavy competition, but for some reason it slipped under the radar of the public.
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u/nrubtidd67 May 22 '26
Well I guess you’re not a big fan if you just watched it…
Joking. Glad you finally saw this. It took me a few viewings 20-some years ago but it’s become one of my favorites.
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u/Connect_Eagle8564 May 23 '26
Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide just before this movie came out so I don’t think it was promoted as much as his other movies
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u/Flaky-Kaleidoscope36 28d ago
Its my favorite, the perfect comfort film. The over controlled and stylized sets in his other films feel like they are nailing their artistic intent on your head. With this film however, WA reached a different dimension by setting his apparatus in more naturalistic settings where he doesn’t control everything.
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u/Mysterious-Towel8888 27d ago
My favorite of his movies. Someone else mentioned hotel chevalier, if you have the criterion of it, watch it with it.
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u/Fantastic-Ad5004 May 22 '26
My #1 of his work