A Limited Journey

The Darjeeling Limited tells the story of three brothers who are desperate for something. They don't know what that something is, or where to find it, or even why they don't have it. But this desperation leads them to take a journey by train through India. The oldest brother, Francis,  hopes this journey will not only give them a spiritual jumpstart to happiness and fulfillment, but also will reunite the brothers with their mother, who has been an absentee parent at best. They each distrust the others, they lie, hide, sabotage, and fight each other, not recognizing that they are pretty much all they each have (with exception of the middle brother, whose wife is expecting a child), as their mother did not really ever want to be a mother. As a result, their own adult lives are selfish, petty and manipulative. They use their lives (bodies) for themselves, and not each other. All of this stems from the reality that were not really wanted as children, and as adults they continue to deal with that neglect, abandonment and maternal avoidance.

Questions for discussion:
What is the mother's (and then the brothers') view of life? (How do you know?)
Why are we (like this family) so inconsistent in our views of life?

How is the Gospel the answer to what the brothers want?
Why might they have sought what they were looking for in a spiritual journey?
For what do you think they were looking?
Why do we use and manipulate people?
Why do we look for happiness, ecstasy, or euphoria in places that we know don't have the answers?
        Why doesn't it matter that their mother doesn't see herself in the way the boys see her?
        (Like it or not, your identity is not completely up to you...)

Verses to use in the discussion:Jeremiah 2:7; 2 Timothy 2:22; Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; Luke 8:14; 1 Timothy 6:17; Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 4:3-4; Leviticus 19:34

Lars and the Real Problems

Lars has problems. Not the least of which is his inability to be close with anyone, including family. He doesn't like emotional vulnerability or deep friendship or even hugs. In fact he cannot be physically touched. When touched he feels a discomfort--pain, even--that are like unbearable heat. He feels a burn that he is compelled to avoid. Much of his psychosis, of course, and his struggles with connection, stem from his perceived role in his mother's death during his own birth. This takes a toll on the people around him, people that love him, who are trying to understand and help him. They desperately want to know what would compell Lars to think that a doll is a real person with whom he can connect. But his relationship with a doll begs some interesting cultural questions, like why he needed to manufacture such a relationship, and what he is trying to get out of it. The movie seems to be suggesting many things about companionship and longing for love.

Questions for discussion:
What are people for? 

What are friendships for? 

Why do we need connection?  

What are bodies for? 

Why do we have such a hard time seeing bodies appropriately? Why do we long for friendships and companionship? What do you find yourself doing if you go too long without your friends or family? Are you an introvert (energized by being alone) or an extrovert (energized by being with people)?
Would you rather have few, very deep, close friendships, or many, less deep (but not insignificant) friendships that give you broader variety and experiences?

Verses to use in the discussion:
Genesis 2:18; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 1:3; Hebrews 10:25; Galatians 6:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Isaiah 30:18-20; 2 Peter 3:9