150 Word Review: 'Father Mother Sister Brother' (2025)
Family ties
Indie icon Jim Jarmusch’s 14th feature is a humane triptych of one-act meditations on family that lopes along at a steady, confident pace. Each scene is a self-contained peek at a moment in the lives of people trying to connect with others.
The first snapshot stars Adam Driver and Mayim Bialik as uptight siblings visiting their infirm, broke father, played by Tom Waits. Is he who he seems? Is anyone? Next, Cate Blanchett and Vicky Krieps are mismatched sisters who have an awkward spot of tea with their mother, a famous author, once a year. Charlotte Rampling is the mother, aloof and anxious. They all lie and love.
The final chapter stars Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat as twins processing their late parents’ sudden death. Up to this point, Jarmusch has explored the small, quiet ways families fail each other, but Moore and Sabbat’s characters are all each other has.