Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ Wins the Golden Lion!

EARLIER: Yep, that’s what I’m hearing. The film that got rejected by Cannes might have just won the Golden Lion .. stay tuned.

UPDATE: It’s official, Jim Jarmusch has won the Golden Lion for “Father Mother Sister Brother.” A shocking turn of events, but a lovely little film has won. Still, a truly surprising pick as this is such a small, intimate film that never screamed for adulation.

In my review of the film, I wrote “this is Jarmusch stripped down beyond the bare bones, a film composed of pauses and absences, moments waiting for resolution and finding none. It’s his most experimental film.”

The film is a perceptive study in familial dynamics, structured as a triptych, each segment set in a different country and focused on adult children reconnecting with estranged or aging parents. One segment features Adam Driver and Mayim Bialik as siblings visiting their reclusive father (Tom Waits) in rural New Jersey. Another centers on Cate Blanchett and Vicky Krieps reuniting with their emotionally distant mother (Charlotte Rampling) in Dublin. The final chapter brings Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat together in Paris to process a family tragedy.

It was last April word got out about Jarmusch’s film getting rejected by the Cannes Film Festival. It was quite the surprise since Jarmusch tends to get a free pass at Cannes, and the prior month, Variety had reported that the film was one of the few films locked for competition.

Back to the awards, Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice,” Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” and Mona Fastvold’s “The Testament of Ann Lee” were completely shut out from the ceremony. As for Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which had the jury split, we were wondering where it would land, and it finally ended up winning second place, the Grand Jury Prize.

Another surprise, Benny Safdie won best director for “The Smashing Machine.” Many were predicting the lead performance, courtesy of Dwayne Johnson, to win an acting prize, but instead it’s Safdie who got honored for the film’s direction. It was Toni Servillo (“La Grazia”) who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.

GOLDEN LION
“Father Mother Sister Brother” (Jim Jarmusch)

GRAND JURY PRIZE
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Kaouther Ben Hania)

BEST DIRECTOR
Benny Safdie (“The Smashing Machine”)

BEST ACTOR
Toni Servillo (“La Grazia”)

BEST ACTRESS
Xin Zhilei (“The Sun Rises on Us All”)

BEST SCREENPLAY
“At Work” (Valerie Donzelli)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
“Beyond the Clouds” (Gianfranco Rosi)

EMERGING ACTOR
Luna Wedler (Silent Friend)