Darjeeling Limited is not for everyone, and will certainly be hated by many film critics. To capture the true beauty of The Darjeeling, you need to understand the symbols presented throughout the film. There is a great power of puzzles in this movie, but there are 3 main elements: 3 feathers, a belt, and all the calves are carried by the brothers. Each message has a symbolic meaning that can be considered in a close interpretation of the film.
Each brother was gifted with a feather. These feathers can represent different things; but one of them is the way you feel the way life is going. When they perform the ritual, we clearly see that each brother feels differently about his life. Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson) performs the ritual correctly, indicating that he is excited about his future and will keep the past in the back of his mind (he buries a feather under a rock). Francis feels that his spiritual journey will change for the better. Peter Witman (Adrien Brody) doesn’t feel the same way about his life. The feather not only does not bury, but preserves. This means a feeling of being incomplete. When the baby is expected in the next 6 weeks, he feels confused and confused, not sure where his life is going. Peter is afraid to let go of the past and move on. He is afraid of a major change in his life, and he is afraid to break his suggestion, so he keeps it a secret. Finally, Jack Whitman (Jason Schwartzman) lets the feather blow in the wind. It is about misery and anger. Jack wants to forget the past and start a new life. He does not want to get involved in conversations, and writes short stories to help himself in the right direction. (we seek happiness). The fables described by Peter are of an angry nature. But the wind can only take a feather, and Jack will eventually have to confront his feelings in order to move forward.
Francis wears a precious belt, which represents love. He wears an old belt, a memory of a former lover; and sometimes he gave Peter a belt, so that he might leave the old memory in order to make new things. But when Francis feels miserable/depressed/angry, he asks for his old love again by taking Peter’s belt. This happens several times in the film, indicating that Peter is not yet ready to be a material object of love. Every time Francis gives Peter a belt forever, it is a symbol that he is happy and that he has created a new loving memory on his journey. He also transmits love even to Peter, who needs it very much. So that he might say: “Let there be for you the belt which he has done for me.”
One element of the symbol in The Darjeeling Limited are the suitcase brothers. They are all suitcases from the past lives of the Whitman brothers. Be it a happy, sad, or neutral memory. When they travel, they always hold their suitcases tightly. But when they experience a spiritual change at the end of the movie, they no longer need the past. While running to catch the train, they all threw their suitcases on the ground, leaving them behind. This is the turning point of The Darjeeling, signifying that all 3 brothers have experienced a spiritual change and are ready to renew their lives. And not long after, together they make a proper rite of the feather, a symbol of true change.
Darjeeling Limited is an enigmatic based movie, with a message behind every line, character and event. You can watch the movie again to get the director’s intended insight. But Darjeeling is meant to be a work of art, not an entertaining film. It is a symbol of life, and the things we do as people to change ours.
