Father Mother Sister Brother (2025)★ 6.1/10

"Can you toast with tea though?" -- There had been a running bit at VIFF for the odd Rolex ad and this movie has been the longest Rolex ad of them all. I liked the first two families (especially Adam Driver ♥️) but the third one dragged a lot. Why play the song from the beginning again if it isn't the end? Also, this may be a niche reference, but many moments felt like those awkward 'clue' cutscenes or moments from The Dark Pictures Anthology.

Who are/were our parents? This is the question that’s trying to be answered in three different ways in director Jim Jarmusch’s character dramedy FATHER MOTHER BROTHER SISTER. This movie features three different stories with similar themes of family. First, we have the Father (Tom Waits), who has his son (Adam Driver) and daughter (Mayim Bialik) for a very rare visit in New Jersey. This was my favorite of the three. Waits is hilarious. The second story is pretty similar. A mother (Charlotte Rampling) has her two daughters Timothea (Cate Blanchett) and Lilith (Vicky Krieps) over for their annual tea visit in Dublin. The final story has fraternal twins Skye (Indya Moore) and Billy (Luka Sabbat) go through their recently deceased parents in Paris. I enjoyed this movie. It’s very artistic, the highlight being the cinematography. It felt pretty special hearing Frederick Elmes, the co-cinematographer himself talk about this movie before it began. Anthology movies are hard to make, usually there’s one segment that’s weaker than the others. This is the case with this movie, but I’m not saying it’s bad. The quality is just uneven. I enjoyed the writing, especially the awkward dry humour and the specific similarities between the stories. It’s a pretty quiet movie, I don’t even think there’s a score. There are no dramatic moments or action. I can tell Jarmusch enjoys filming from inside cars. This might not be for everybody, but I definitely liked the unique triptych that is FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER.