FilmWatch Weekly: Jim Jarmusch's 'Father Mother Sister Brother,' Palestinian drama 'All That's Left of You,' and more * Oregon ArtsWatch

"Jarmusch has alternated genre riffs such as Only Lovers Left Alive and The Dead Don't Die with offbeat human dramas like Father Mother Sister Brother, his first feature in six years. This trilogy of thematically linked tales, the structure of which harks back to 1989's Mystery Train, centers on (as the title indicates) family dynamics in their myriad, Tolstoyan complexities and features a cast whose talent and renown are a testament to the director's place in the auteurist firmament."

"In the first segment, "Father," which opens to an eerie cover of Spooky by the British-German singer Anika, a pair of siblings (Adam Driver and Mayim Bialik) visit their semi-estranged father (Tom Waits, doing an excellent Nick Nolte impression-or is it vice versa?) in wintry, rural New Jersey. There's a stiltedness both to their encounter and the dialogue Jarmusch has written for them, which can feel like a ham-fisted effort at something between John Cheever and Russell Banks."

"Driver, in his third Jarmusch film, has rarely if ever been less attractive on screen, and the pseudo-stunt casting of Bialik (better known as a former child and sitcom star, erstwhile Jeopardy host, and sometime vaccine denialist) works just fine. Waits, a stalwart member of the Jarmusch troupe for 40 years, is the attraction, and anytime the inscrutable, gravel-voiced legend deigns to honor us with a screen performance, we should be grateful: this is his most engaging such work in many a moon."

Jim Jarmusch, now in his seventies, continues to work on a modest scale, writing his own screenplays and alternating genre riffs with offbeat human dramas. Father Mother Sister Brother is a three-part, thematically linked trilogy focused on complex family dynamics and echoing the structure of Mystery Train. The first segment, "Father," opens to an eerie cover of "Spooky" and follows siblings Adam Driver and Mayim Bialik visiting their semi-estranged father Tom Waits in wintry New Jersey. The dialogue can feel stilted and ham-fisted, Driver appears less attractive, Bialik's casting works, and Waits delivers an especially engaging performance. Part two brings together Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, and Charlotte Rampling.

Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News