If you ever want to study auteur theory with film directors, a good place to start would be with Wes Anderson. Spend ten minutes with one of his films and you will clearly be able to see how his movies are different than anyone else's. You'll also have a very fun-filled ten minutes. This isn't to say that he makes the same movie every time. Sure, Anderson likes to use the same themes in all of his films, along with the same actors, and he films his movies using mostly a wide-angle lens with extreme usage of 90-degree angles. Each of his films are quite different, even though they all look the same, and they're all really awesome.

Anderson's latest, The Darjeeling Limited, shows us the story of three brothers who are riding on a train through India looking for spiritual enlightenment. The oldest, Francis (Owen Wilson), wants to reconnect with his two younger brothers, Peter (Adrian Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman), who haven't seen each other since their father's funeral. They bring with them eleven suitcases, a printer, a laminating machine, and Francis's assistant Brendan, who types up and laminates detailed itineraries for their journey.

The performances of Wilson, Brody, and Schwartzman are amazing. They carve out little niche details for each of their characters, yet they are completely believable as brothers. They have all been damaged in some way prior to the events in the film, and all use this trip as a way to run away from something. Francis nearly died in a motorcycle accident, which he possibly caused, Peter recently found out that his wife is pregnant and fears that he does not love her anymore, and Jack has been dealing with the disintegration of a troubled relationship. Part of Jack's story is shown in the short film Hotel Chevalier which is a prequel to The Darjeeling Limited. Wes Anderson has pleaded with viewers of his new film to check out the short first, which has been made available for free via iTunes.

Not that you should need another reason to go watch Hotel Chevalier other than 1) it's free, 2) it's directed by Wes Anderson, 3) it's just as awesome a film as The Darjeeling Limited or any other Wes Anderson film, but here it is: 4) Natalie Portman gets naked in it. If you're an Internet geek and have heard news of this, you probably have seen it already. Either way, go see Hotel Chevalier and see it before you see The Darjeeling Limited. This short isn't required viewing for The Darjeeling Limited, but it adds so much to the viewing experience and it is referenced quite a bit.

The India shown in the film is not the exotic touristy India that many would think of. Instead the train they are on simply wanders, at one point making the characters think it has gotten lost. The lost feeling can be shared by these characters as they meander through an India where they pray each to a different deity, have encounters with venomous snakes, and are served sweet tea by a stewardess who looks Indian but speaks in an American accent. This India seems as odd and drug induced as the cough syrup and other pain killers which the brothers constantly drink can make it, and all of it is beautifully captured by Anderson and his cinematographer Robert Yeoman.

The wandering quality of the film is one of its strengths, yet it will probably be the aspect of the film which upsets most people. The story does not follow the standard three-arc format, most of the time these characters aren't even sure if they have a destination. The film shows us these situations and allows the characters to deal with them as they come. Most stories in our lives do not lend themselves to three-arc structures, so why must our fiction? Cannot it be allowed to simply find its way as well? Well I'm going to find my way to the theater tonight to see the film again, because it's simply awesome.