Father Mother Sister Brother

2025

Comedy / Drama

Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 81% · 108 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 53% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.7/10 10 5116 5.1K

new jersey paris, france dublin, ireland anthology adult children

Director

Jim Jarmusch Photo
Jim Jarmusch

Top cast

Cate Blanchett Photo
Cate Blanchett as Timothea
Sarah Greene Photo
Sarah Greene as Jeanette
Mayim Bialik Photo
Mayim Bialik as Emily
Tom Waits Photo
Tom Waits as Father

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by MisterTenenbaum 7 / 10

FROM GOOD TO OK

The film is divided into three segments of varying quality. It starts strong with Tom Waits in a hilarious role as the father. It continues with Charlotte Rampling's segment as the mother (perhaps the least inspired) and ends with two twin brothers. For me, the film speaks to the human rituals that bring us together, like sitting down at a table and having coffee-universal, secular ceremonies. It explores the affection, lies, and truths that exist in family relationships, the image we create for others, and the profound ignorance we sometimes have about our own families. I think it's an interesting film, although the tone is too languid and quiet, with so many silences, and it's difficult to stay awake in the theater with the lights off and no soundtrack. However it's a good film.
Reviewed by stevencsmovies 7 / 10

great tone and humour

Who are/were our parents? This is the question that's trying to be answered in three different ways in director Jim Jarmusch's character dramedy FATHER MOTHER BROTHER SISTER. This movie features three different stories with similar themes of family. First, we have the Father (Tom Waits), who has his son (Adam Driver) and daughter (Mayim Bialik) for a very rare visit in New Jersey. This was my favorite of the three. Waits is hilarious. The second story is pretty similar. A mother (Charlotte Rampling) has her two daughters Timothea (Cate Blanchett) and Lilith (Vicky Krieps) over for their annual tea visit in Dublin. The final story has fraternal twins Skye (Indya Moore) and Billy (Luka Sabbat) go through their recently deceased parents in Paris. I enjoyed this movie. It's very artistic, the highlight being the cinematography. It felt pretty special hearing Frederick Elmes, the co-cinematographer himself talk about this movie before it began. Anthology movies are hard to make, usually there's one segment that's weaker than the others. This is the case with this movie, but I'm not saying it's bad. The quality is just uneven. I enjoyed the writing, especially the awkward dry humour and the specific similarities between the stories. It's a pretty quiet movie, I don't even think there's a score. There are no dramatic moments or action. I can tell Jarmusch enjoys filming from inside cars. This might not be for everybody, but I definitely liked the unique triptych that is FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER.
Reviewed by ProfWinerReviews 6 / 10

More is unsaid than said

Any film directed and written by Jim Jarmusch is normally greatly anticipated. His films are quite varied from the looking for past lovers (Broken Flowers with Bill Murray) to vampires (Only Lovers Left Alive).This film has already won the 2025 Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival. It's a quiet movie about three different families and the relationships between parents and children. The stories are set apart with some special, dreamlike effects."Father" is about the relationship between a divorced son, Jeff (Adam Driver), a daughter Emily (Mayim Bialik) and their unnamed father (Tom Waits). The father lives in a ramshackle house somewhere in the country in the U. S. His wife has died, the house is cluttered with things breaking down, he has an old truck that looks like it is on its last legs, and it's unclear whether he eats regularly. The conversation between Jeff and Emily on the way to visit their Dad indicates that the former is more involved with his life than the latter. Jeff brings food and sends him money to help fix the house. Emily seems totally uninvolved without explanation. When they arrive at the house, there is little conversation; there are long periods of awkward silence and very little indication of love between them. The children leave without spending much time with the father."Mother" (Charlotte Rampling) is similar to "Father" although there is no mention of a father. Mother is a well-known author living in a stately house in a posh area of perhaps London. Like "Father," mother is visited by the children, in this case, two daughters, Timothea (Cate Blanchett) and Lilith (Vicky Krieps). Timothea works for a non-profit, is informally dressed, and has a car on its last legs. Lilith has a big head of pink hair and is apparently in a lesbian relationship but goes to great lengths to hide it from her mother. Mother, conservatively dressed, has prepared an elaborate high tea for the daughters with beautiful cakes and sandwiches. Like "Father," there are long stretches of awkward silence, no sense of loving relationships, and the visit is short."Sister and Brother" is about a set of Black twins, a boy and a girl, from a mixed-race couple who recently died in a small plane crash. The free-spirited parents lived in Paris as does the son, Billy (Luke Sabbat). The daughter, Skye (Indya Moore) lives in New York where both were both born (according to birth certificates found later in the parents' apartment). The children get along very well and have a loving relationship. They tour the apartment where the parents lived reliving memories. Billy has taken responsibility for moving the furniture and other things from the apartment to a storage bin which they also tour.The film moves easily from one story to the other showing the nature of family relationships. In addition, there are five things linking the stories: skateboarders, discussions of water, a Rolex watch, comments that you cannot make toasts with water or coffee, and a quaint British phrase "Bob's your uncle" which, according to AI, means "and there you have it" or "the solution is simple." I assume this is intended to imply that, as humans, we are all inter-related one way or another.I liked the film but didn't love it as not a lot happens. The awkward silences in "Father" and "Mother" were painful to watch and had me squirming in my seat. This is, of course, intended by Jarmusch, who is saying that there is often a lot more unsaid than is communicated, especially in family situations. The cast is great. I enjoyed his other films more than this one.
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