'Protect Empathy at All Costs. And Live Groovy Lives.'

"Nobody, not even Jim Jarmusch himself, seemed to think his latest, Father Mother Sister Brother, had a shot at winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. Not because the film wasn't terrific - it was - but because it was so modest, minimalist, and odd, a true curiosity amid an awards-season-friendly lineup of big titles defined by their ambition and/or their hard-hitting urgency."

"But Jarmusch's quiet little picture, which consists of three distinct episodes focusing on the relationship between siblings and their parents, has a way of sneaking up on you and of growing in the mind. Its awkward silences and spare, unaffected performances seem puzzling at first, but the whole thing gathers fascination and power as it proceeds toward its deeply moving final moments; it's a delight to experience with an audience."

"It's also a hard movie to stop thinking about, and it represents a triumphant return for the director, whose last feature was 2019's divisive (and highly topical) zombie comedy-thriller-adventure The Dead Don't Die. It's a return to basics for him, too: Father Mother Sister Brother has the wry, deadpan quality of the classics that originally put Jarmusch on the map, like Down by Law (1986) and Stranger Than Paradise (1984); its omnibus structure also echoes beloved films like Mystery Train (1989) and Night on Earth (1991)."

Father Mother Sister Brother is a modest, minimalist film made of three distinct episodes that focus on sibling and parent relationships. The film contains no action, violence, nudity, or sex and relies on awkward silences and spare, unaffected performances. Quiet moments accumulate across the episodes, creating growing fascination and emotional power that culminates in deeply moving final moments. The film recalls Jarmusch's earlier deadpan classics and echoes omnibus works like Mystery Train and Night on Earth. The picture follows 2019's The Dead Don't Die and will serve as the Centerpiece screening at the New York Film Festival.

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