Darjeeling Limited

with Owen Wilson

Viewed July 19, 2008

We spent most of our time tonight talking about truth (Question 1). We started with the simple reasons that we don't tell the truth -- that we think somehow we're going to get hurt -- and moved on to more profound questions like what the TRUTH really is. For example, many people think that telling someone their opinion is telling them the truth, but is it really? Do we really hurt people by telling them the truth, or is it the factual reality behind what we say that really hurts? If telling the truth destroys a relationship, is that in fact a loss, or is it just an indication that the relationships couldn't stand the truth in the first place? And NOT telling the truth may damage a relationship as much (or more) than telling the truth would have.

One person said the reason that he had trouble disclosing his sexual/romantic attractions (Question 2) was that he still, someplace inside his head, is judgmental about sex ("I should transcend those feelings!") and romance ("That's just insipid stuff!"), and thus was not as sex-positive as he would like to be.

We also dealt a little with grief (Question 6), enough to say that mainly we seem to have dealt with our grief in unhealthy ways in the past, and would like to know how to deal with it better. Beside allowing ourselves to "blubber" sometimes, the only tool that was mentioned for dealing with grief in a healthy way was working with a counselor on a regular basis.
(This video was reviewed by Bob McGarey)

Feel free to come and share your own personal insights sometime; the Saturday Night Video and Discussions here in Austin, Texas are a lot of fun and fascinating. (They're free, too.) Here are the questions the group came up with, based on the personal growth themes in the movie:

DARJEELING LIMITED

  1. Why don't I tell the TRUTH more?
  2. What's the scariest part about disclosing my sexual/romantic attraction to someone?
  3. What are the family dynamics that made me turn out the way I have?
  4. What parts of me are genuine, and what parts were just instilled in me by my family?
  5. How do I bond (or not) with my family?
  6. How have I dealt with my grief in healthy or unhealthy ways?
  7. How do I feel when I catch a glimpse of what life was like for my forebears?
  8. How worried should I be about not caring about others' expectations of me?