FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER: An Anthology of Estrangement

FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER (Blu-ray)

2025 / 111 min

MUBI

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

As I write this, I keep wanting to type MOTHER Father Sister Brother because it’s something I’ve often shouted-out when public decorum prevented me from using an expletive that also starts with ‘mother.’ Perhaps some of you have, too. As for writer-director Jim Jarmusch, maybe his title is an intentional play on the phrase, maybe not. For all I know, it simply signifies the film’s individual chapters. 

After all, Jarmusch can be one ambiguous motherfathersisterbrother at times.

How much one gets out of Father Mother Sister Brother largely depends on one’s appreciation for the director’s style and sensibilities. This is an anthology film comprising three stories, all of which center around reunions of estranged family members. “Father” has siblings (Adam Driver & Mayin Bialik) visiting their reclusive dad (Tom Waits), who initially appears to be in mental decline. In “Mother,” two sisters (Cate Blanchett & Vicky Krieps) make their annual visit to their mother (Charlotte Rampling), a famous author. Finally, “Sister Brother” features a brother and sister returning home following their parents’ deaths.

"I've highlighted all the naughty bits for you."

The film is loaded with the kind of superfluous small talk people engage in to avoid uncomfortable silences, and we get the impression everyone’s trying really hard to get along with those they love…but may not actually like. Aside from the ongoing theme of estrangement, these stories are tenuously connected through recurring imagery (skateboarders, watches, similarly colored clothing, etc) and dialogue (variations of “Bob’s your uncle”). What any of it symbolizes is largely left to the viewer to figure out, which is typical Jarmusch. For some, this’ll feel like a whole lot of nothing going on.

On the other hand, some of this will resonate with anyone who’s experienced similarly strained familial relationships. If nothing else, these characters feel real, largely due to their deceptively mundane conversations and, more significantly, outstanding performances by the entire cast. If forced to choose who stands out the most, I’d choose Driver, who masterfully depicts his character’s internal conflict with a minimum of actual dialogue. 

Overall, Father Mother Sister Brother (dammit, I still accidentally typed ‘mother’ first) is watchable, but not as profound as Jarmusch (and his admirers) might think it is. He accurately and admirably serves up examples of family estrangement, but doesn’t really have anything substantial to say about it.