So I came to appreciate the genius of singer/songwriter Tom Waits much later than I should have, even if I did know the Eagles version of his song “Ol’ 55” in early college years. (Waits thought their version was “antiseptic” and wasn’t a fan. I agree. His is so much better.) In fact I thought of him as more of an actor than a singer, having seen him in Jim Jarmusch’s Down by Law (1986) and as Renfield in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) back in the day. Now I have a greater appreciation for his amazing body of work, both as musician and singer/songwriter, that I consider his acting to be a minor side-gig.
But here it is 40 years after Down by Law and Waits shines in another Jim Jarmusch film, Father Mother Sister Brother (2025). The film is a triptych of sorts, three stories concerned with family, mainly the prickly dynamics between adult children and their aging parents. Waits plays the Father, an old, wiry-haired bespeckled man living in “the boonies,” as his son (Adam Driver) and daughter (Mayim Bialik) put it. He’s estranged from them but they (reluctantly and rather stiffly) come to visit. All is not what it seems.
There’s a wry humor to their interactions. His messy place in the sticks is actually a lovely home with a gorgeous view. And Waits or Father is not exactly being honest in his dealings with said offspring. Adam Driver does a great job as a somewhat staid and uptight grown-up son, who drives a Range Rover and appears to live a comfortable life in some city (I guessed New York). Driver is a terrific actor and as funny as some of the moments are, he never breaks character and plays it straight, which only makes it funnier.
As previously mentioned, the film consists of three separate stories. It takes place in three different locations (Upstate New York, Dublin, Paris), with no connection between the characters, but thematic links, motifs, and details connect them: Each features some skateboarders, a Rolex watch, color-coordinated family apparel, and the phrase “Bob’s your Uncle.” The first story is mainly comic, the second sad, and the third sweet. Although the film did get some good reviews, it didn’t even come to my local theater. Father Mother Sister Brother deserves much better, deserves a big audience. Jim Jarmusch is one of our greatest contemporary filmmakers. He made Johnny Depp’s best film, for Chrissakes—the great revisionist Western Dead Man (1995). While flimsy thrillers like The Housemaid (2025) get much attention a diamond like this gets lost in the shuffle. The world isn’t fair. But we all know that.
