Father Mother Sister Brother is a feature-length fictional film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, set to hit French theaters on January 7, 2026. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival 2025, the movie falls within the realm of dramatic comedy and is structured as a triptych. Led by Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, and Françoise Lebrun, it delves into family and brotherhood themes across three separate stories set in the United States, Ireland, and France.
Designed as a triptych, Father Mother Sister Brother weaves together three separate stories, each focusing on adults grappling with emotional distance from their parents. Set against a contemporary backdrop, each segment explores relationships defined by silence, unspoken truths, and attempts at reconciliation.
The first installment, Father, is set in the northeastern United States and explores a father-son relationship shaped by years and distance. The paternal figure appears both familiar and elusive, exposing the deeper fractures within a bond that never fully heals.
The second story, Mother, set in Dublin, focuses on a mother-daughter relationship filled with nostalgia and keen observations of everyday life. Finally, Sister Brother, set in Paris, delves into sibling bonds in adulthood, examining shared memories and diverging paths through a deliberately minimalist lens.
Jim Jarmusch began writing Father Mother Sister Brother with a clear goal: to bring together Tom Waits and Adam Driver in a father-son story. This project continues his longstanding collaboration with the musician-actor and reaffirms his ongoing partnership with Driver, following their work together in Paterson and The Dead Don’t Die. The film also marks the director’s return to a segmented storytelling style, a narrative approach he previously explored in Night on Earth and Coffee and Cigarettes.
The filming took place in West Milford, New Jersey, as well as in Dublin and Paris. For the Paris segment, Jarmusch cast a notable role to Françoise Lebrun, continuing his interest in French actors after working with Isaach de Bankolé, Béatrice Dalle, Julie Delpy, and Alex Descas. The cinematography was handled by Frederick Elmes and Yorick Le Saux, longtime collaborators of the director, while the editing was contributed by Affonso Gonçalves.
Premiered in the official competition at the Venice Film Festival 2025, the film was awarded the Golden Lion, once again cementing Jim Jarmusch's reputation on the global stage. Father Mother Sister Brother has since been featured at numerous festivals, including Busan, Zurich, Vancouver, and Marrakech, where its understated style and observational approach to human relationships were particularly highlighted.
Following in the footsteps of his recent works, Jim Jarmusch employs a minimalist staging, a slow-paced rhythm, and subtle humor. The film is primarily aimed at fans of art-house cinema and introspective storytelling, appealing to those interested in character studies and contemplative atmospheres. Through its fragmented approach to time and family, it may remind viewers of films like Boyhood by Richard Linklater or certain intimate European dramas.
Father Mother Sister Brother
Film | 2026
Release date in theaters: January 7, 2026
Drama comedy | Runtime: 1h51
Directed by Jim Jarmusch | Starring Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Françoise Lebrun
Original title: Father Mother Sister Brother
Countries: USA / France / Ireland
With Father Mother Sister Brother, Jim Jarmusch offers a fresh take on the recurring themes that define his cinema: time, distance, and human connections. Structured in segments and set across various locations, the film presents a fragmented yet cohesive portrait of modern family relationships.
To keep the movie magic going, check out the January cinema releases, discover the must-see films of the moment, and explore our curated list of top drama comedies of the year.
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