Father Mother Sister Brother
January 8th, 2026
MOVIE: FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER
STARRING: ADAM DRIVER, TOM WAITS, MAYIM BIALIK, CHARLOTTE RAMPLING, CATE BLANCHETT, VICKY KRIEPS, INDYA MOORE, LUKA SABBAT
DIRECTED BY: JIM JARMUSCH
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 110 MINUTES
During a time when the world feels like a constant mess—with Stormtrooper thug ICE agents murdering people in the streets of Minneapolis—I find a small sense of peace in knowing that Jim Jarmusch is still making movies. The New York–based independent filmmaker has always told stories in his own singular way. Some might dismiss his work as “boring” or say that “nothing happens” in his films, but to that I say hogwash. The truth is that Jim Jarmusch’s films are not meant to entertain or thrill in a conventional sense; they are experiences. Their beauty lies in allowing the quiet reality of life to wash over you.
His newest film, Father Mother Sister Brother, is composed of three short vignettes centered on three families and the everyday dynamics that shape their lives. The film moves effortlessly between sadness, humor, discomfort, oddness, love, and tenderness. Like most of Jarmusch’s work, Father Mother Sister Brother is a pure slice of life.
The first segment, Father, follows siblings Jeff (Adam Driver) and Emily (Mayim Bialik) as they drive to visit their ailing father (the always-perfect Tom Waits). From the start, the car ride is thick with discomfort. Jeff has clearly given his father money he didn’t deserve, while Emily worries that her brother is being taken advantage of. When they arrive, conversation drifts between their father’s health, a flooding issue in his garage, and the heavy silences around what remains unsaid. It’s in the pauses, the sideways glances, and the body language where the real tension lives—an awkwardness that only family can truly bring out.
The second segment, Mother, centers on three women meeting for afternoon tea: Charlotte Rampling as the successful, stern matriarch; Cate Blanchett as Timothea, the responsible eldest daughter; and Vicky Krieps as Lilith, the pink-haired youngest child who is hesitant to introduce her mother to the girlfriend who dropped her off. Timothea arrives after dealing with car trouble, and there is an immediate tightness in the air. Jarmusch stages the scene like an immaculate high-tea ritual—the macarons glow with color while Rampling’s icy stare quietly explains the emotional restraint of her daughters. While no segment is stronger than the others, Jarmusch allows this one to fully breathe. We instantly grasp the family dynamic, intuit a history that is never spelled out, and draw our own conclusions about the past that shapes the present.
The final vignette, Sister Brother, follows Skye (Indya Moore) and her brother Billy (Luka Sabbat). After Billy picks up drugs from his dealer, the siblings talk in the car with a somber, affectionate tone, reminiscing about their parents and poking fun at each other. They are in the process of clearing out their parents’ old apartment, and the weight of their mother’s recent death hangs quietly over everything. What Jarmusch captures here is a deeply moving moment of sibling connection. It’s immediately clear that Skye and Billy love each other unconditionally—the kind of bond forged by having survived everything together.
At a surprisingly gentle runtime of nearly two hours (1 hour and 50 minutes), Father Mother Sister Brother drifts by like a soft breeze. Jarmusch once again proves himself a master at savoring moments. As with Paterson or Coffee and Cigarettes, the film isn’t about plot so much as presence—about simply being in the room with these characters. For Jarmusch, people themselves are enough to tell a story. Every family is unique. Every person carries their own history. Experiencing those lives through the lens of an artist as thoughtful and humane as Jim Jarmusch is a beautiful thing.
3 ½ STARS
FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY, JANUARY 9TH, 2026.
Written by: Leo Brady
