Father Mother Sister Brother at Luna

Charlotte Rampling (as Mother) in Father Mother Sister Brother 
Photo Credit: Madman Entertainment

On a sunny Saturday morning, my partner and I wandered down Oxford St to watch Father Mother Sister Brother at Luna Leederville.

The trailer had caught my attention for its conversational dialogue style, and I had also spotted that Cate Blanchett and Charlotte Rampling were in the movie.

Father Mother Sister Brother consists of 3 triptychs exploring the relationships between members of different families.

The final story is about the connection between a brother and sister whose parents have passed.

The first 2 stories revolve around adult children with their own busy lives visiting their father and mother respectively – doing the dutiful thing with the relationships feeling courteous and civil yet somewhat also estranged and distanced causing discomfort for all.

The uncomfortable vibe is what director Jim Jarmusch tries to achieve throughout his film – and he achieves it well – the awkwardness of silence between sentences in a conversation, and that what is left unsaid is oftentimes more meaningful than what is said.

Jarmusch paints an interesting portrait of families that have become distant – not really knowing a great deal about what each family member is up to – covering superficialities and caring to a degree about the other person, but immersed in their own lives. Time passes quickly until we may not even recognise the person before us – someone whom we used to spend every day of our childhood – adoring or spending time with – or getting into trouble with as a child.

It is an interesting take on family relationships – the cinematography is sharp and true to life – removing any obscurities and distractions that could hinder from its main objective of honing in on the relationships (uncomfortable or otherwise) between the characters.

Movie goers who enjoy a relaxed movie that has little action apart from the dialogue between the characters will enjoy Father Mother Sister Brother. There are some simple thematic objects and similar scenes that connect the three triptychs loosely, but apart from that each story is separate one.

Jarmusch’s style is distinctive and in this drama comedy movie the humour is cringe worthy found in the awkwardness of situations and the interaction between individuals.

Father Mother Sister Brother opens at Luna on 2 April with a first look preview at Luna Outdoors on Saturday 28 March.

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