Father Mother Sister Brother
Three sets of siblings in rural New Jersey, Dublin and Paris have little idea of the lives their parents lead as they try to reconnect in "Father Mother Sister Brother."
Laura's Review: B+
Denied a competition slot at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, writer/director Jim Jarmusch took his first film in six years to Venice instead and won the Golden Lion for Best Film. This often humorous and ultimately moving look at familial disconnection features three different families, but all three stories are linked with skateboarders, drinking water, the phrase 'Bob's your uncle' and color coded clothing.
The siblings are also always seen in cars which is how we are introduced to Jeff (Adam Driver) and Emily (Mayim Bialik) as they drive along a snowy road to visit their father (Tom Waits). They clearly have mixed feelings about the man, Emily stating that his phone calls invariably end up with a plea for cash, her husband objecting the last time she sent some. Jeff is a little less judgmental, having packed a big box of specialty foods and whisky for the man, but they are both mystified as to why their dad never told Emily about the wall which collapsed, structural damage which put a dent in Jeff's wallet. As they turn onto his access road, Jeff notes that the driveway should be regraded as he bumps along. And then they are out of the car and at the front door where an awkward greeting will take place in a cramped foyer.
The casting of Bialik and Driver as siblings was inspired, the two bearing a genuine resemblance when seen side by side, the two connected to Waits by the burgundy all three wear. Hesitant small talk circles around some intriguing observations, such as the quality of dad's furniture beneath the ratty throws which cover much, the academic depth of the books on his shelves and piled on the floor and the Rolex hidden beneath his cuff which he claims is a fake. Emily's question about his health, a follow-up to some kind of episode at their mother's funeral, receives a litany of all the recreational drugs dad claims not to take and Jeff's desire to inspect damage to the old house is fobbed off. Emily makes noises about having to depart, the odd visit having achieved nothing but declarations of it having been good to see each other, but Jarmusch has an ace up his sleeve, another tale hinted at revealed when dad is once again left to his own devices.
From 'Father' we move on to 'Mother,' meeting the woman (Charlotte Rampling) lying on a couch speaking to her therapist before her two daughters arrive for their annual tea. She opines that although Lilith (Vicky Krieps) is the elder, she is the daughter she worries about more, yet when we meet them, it is clear that the dowdy Timothea (Cate Blanchett) is much more dependent on her mother's approval. Lilith, an aging punk with pink hair tells her girlfriend Jeanette (Sarah Greene) to pull over when they near their destination so she can pretend she's arrived in an Uber. Jeanette thinks it is bizarre that both Lilith and Tim moved to Dublin to be closer to a mother they only see once a year. Meanwhile Tim breaks down, calls for car service, then manages to fix the problem herself. Lilith arrives first, her conservative mother admiring her hair, her disapproving looks at some of Lilith's habits kept to herself as she listens to her daughter spin out tales about a rich, handsome boyfriend meant for her appeasement. The sisters seem only slightly more well acquainted than they are with their mother, a box of books revealing her as a best selling author who doesn't like to discuss her career. We are again treated to awkward small talk consisting of assurances of each's well being and overhead shots of water and tea being served before an abrupt departure. These three women couldn't be more different as defined by their dress and hairstyles, Rampling well heeled and proper, Lilith in black leather (and a fake Rolex which probably really is), Tim in unflattering pixie cut, turtleneck, vest, skirt and men's oxfords, the red carpet fashionista that is Blanchett thoroughly erased. But they all sport a flash of red.
The third in the triptych, 'Sister Brother,' finds Skye (Indya Moore) and Billy (Luka Sabbat) driving through the streets of Paris catching up, Billy stopping to buy the shrooms he tells his sister he microdoses daily. Skye has just arrived after their parents' death in a small plane accident, one which she wonders if they might have survived had their mother been the pilot. She's amazed that Billy has packed their entire apartment and moved everything into storage. The siblings visit the spacious, old world digs one last time, reminiscing as they look through photos, Skye leaning her head on Billy's leg as they sit on the parquet floor. These siblings are by far the most comfortable with each other of all we've met, although the two seem to be discovering things about their parents only now, like the fake marriage certificate their mother made to get around some legality or other and the birth certificates which confirm them as native New Yorkers. Billy sports their father's Rolex, one passed down to him by his father, Billy and Skye's grandad, while showing Skye a picture of their mother looking like a movie star and presenting her with the large framed sunglasses she wears in the picture. Madame Gautier (Françoise Lebrun) arrives, surprised to find them there, the apartment no longer theirs, but knows and clearly likes the two. It was she who urged Billy to clear things out before they the contents were seized, their biracial parents apparently three months late paying rent. We can feel the love with this family, the siblings somewhat in awe of the bohemian, adventurous parents whose lives were something of a mystery but whose spirit appears to live on in their children.
With "Father Mother Sister Brother" Jarmusch takes the old saying about never being able to truly know another person and applies it to three different families told with humor, quirk and warmth.
Robin's Review: B-
Mubi released "Father Mother Sister Brother" in NY on 12/24/25, expanding on 1/9/2026.
