By Robert Bellissimo
Do we really know our parents ? Do we really know our children ? Why do we keep secrets from family ? These are just some of the questions Jim Jarmusch asks in his new film, Father Mother Sister Brother.
The film is comprised of three different stories. The first about a father in America, the second, a mother in Dublin and the third, a sister and brother in Paris.
Each story has its share of similarities. In the first two, the father and mother aren’t particularly close with their children. Everyone is trying to connect, but the conversations are awkward and forced. Even though you feel like the characters love one another, it’s simply not enough. There are secrets hidden and a lot that goes unsaid. In the third story, the least engaging of the three, the sister and brother discover they didn’t know as much about their parents as they thought they did, when going through all of their possessions after their recent deaths.
Jim Jarmusch doesn’t give any easy answers to these relationships. He doesn’t offer a lot of exposition about their histories. He makes suggestions and asks you to engage with the film and find your own way with it.
You may recognize your own family in this film. The interactions we see are common ones that we’ve all experienced. The film is done with such simplicity, a great sense of humour and asks and says to much about life and human relationships.
The entire cast is incredible. The direction is simple and direct. Jarmusch is interested in human beings and his style of filmmaking proves that, by focusing on the human faces we see and the human relationships that live within the frame.
If you’re in Toronto you can watch, Father Mother Sister Brother, at the TIFF Bell Lightbox until January 14th and at the Fox Theatre until Saturday January 17th.
