More About Film
With this film, which won the Golden Lion at the most recent Venice Film Festival, American director Jim Jarmusch continues to affirm his position as one of the leading figures in independent cinema, anchored in a personal vision that resists market demands and shuns spectacle. Jarmusch departs from the traditional narrative, working instead with the idea of “family reunions” across three chapters set in three different cities, each focusing on a different family. Despite this multiplicity, the film does not follow a conventional rising dramatic structure; it relies instead on glimpses, hints, and small suggestive details, maintaining its sense of mystery until the very end.The film features an impressive roster of top-tier stars, including Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, and Charlotte Rampling, though their appearances are limited and spread thinly across the narrative. Characters appear and then fade, making way for the next chapter. Jarmusch does not follow a clear dramatic arc in his exploration of family relationships. There is a refined elegance in the presence of the actors, and a visual beauty evident in the costumes, set design, and cinematography—a detail unsurprising given that the film is produced by the renowned French fashion house, Saint Laurent.Most of the scenes take place indoors, yet reaching these spaces always involves a journey by car, as if moving through space is a necessary prelude to emotional depth. The three chapters are connected by subtle yet meaningful threads—passing conversations about water, or a question repeated in different forms. This stripping away of conventional drama reflects the essence of Jarmusch’s style, which has long depicted humans in their isolation and waiting, as well as in their lack of connection. Everything unfolds at the margins, with the screenplay deliberately inviting viewers to notice what lies between doors, chairs, and tables, as well as the fleeting details that drift unexpectedly into awareness.Hauvick Habéchian