The True Villain of Father Mother Sister Brother Is Hiding in Plain Sight

Every good movie has a villain. I hate to say it, but it’s true. However, the thing that most people don’t realise is that this villain doesn’t always have to be a person. Really, anything that represents a point of conflict, whether it be metaphysical or literal, can be considered a villain.

If there’s one movie that represents conflict, it's Jim Jarmusch’s recently released Father Mother Sister Brother. As the title implies, it is a movie about family and all of its complicated dynamics. The anthology-based film focuses on three different families, all of which are broken in some way. There’s no big confrontation, no boiling point of tension — just something simmering under the surface. 

Another key similarity, and the arguable ‘villain’ in all these families, is money. They say money makes the world go round, and for the most part, in Father Mother Sister Brother, that seems to be true. And the most poignant part? It’s extremely realistic. Let’s go through how money terrorises each of the film’s title characters. Naturally, there are spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen the film yet, be warned!

Money Drives Father to Trick His Own Children

In the first segment of the story, Father, money takes centre stage. It becomes apparent that the father, played by Tom Waits, isn’t being honest about something. He seems to mess up his living room before their arrival, as the siblings, Jeff and Emily, discuss his tendency to ask for money. Jeff admits that he regularly helps his father financially, citing a recent issue with a wall collapsing in his home. 

However, upon arrival, the father presents himself as a lonely and impoverished old man — and you almost believe him until his children notice the Rolex on his wrist and the fact that he’s so insistent about Jeff not seeing the wall he paid to repair. For unknown reasons, the siblings choose not to confront him. 

The extent of his deception is revealed once the siblings leave. Because money is so sought after by the father, it is presented as an object of corruption. His desire for money is so deep that he is willing to deceive his own children in order to maintain the lavish lifestyle that is clearly so central in his life. It could be argued that the father himself is the villain, but money and its alluring nature are the driving forces here.

Money Is a Poor Substitute for Mother’s Love

Meanwhile, in the second segment of the film, money is treated in a very different way. The mother’s home couldn’t be more different from the father’s. Unlike the father's, it is absolutely huge, and everything is perfectly polished with not one thing out of place. However, you also get the sense that the home is very large and empty for one person, and it has an almost imposing and intimidating presence. 

Here, money represents a degree of power — and after the two daughters arrive, it is clear that the power dynamics from their childhood are still very much at play, with the pair quickly reverting to their childhood roles of competition and mischief. 

Like the father in the first segment, daughter Lilith (Vicky Krieps) is hiding something about her financial situation. She lies about what car she has and gets her friend to pretend she’s an Uber driver. She clearly wants to impress her mother and sister, who both have impressive careers, but is more forthcoming about her Rolex, which she admits is a fake. If anything, the fake Rolex underpins how empty and shallow the relationship between this mother and her two daughters is, with impressive promotions and picture-perfect afternoon teas showing how money can’t always buy happiness or, indeed, a close-knit family. 

In the end, Lilith ends up having to ask her mother to pay for an Uber for her, which, once again, reinforces the subtle power her mother still has on her from a financial point of view. Here, money is a villain in the sense that it is wielded as a tool and as a substitute for familial love, but ultimately, it isn’t a great substitute at all. 

Sister and Brother Ignore Money – Until They Can’t

The thing that differentiates this story from the other two is the closeness of this family unit of two. While their family is also broken — with their parents dying in a freak plane accident — the twins, played by Indya Moore and Sabbat, have a level of affection for one another that the other families lack. This segment also stands out because money doesn’t get in the way of their relationship. For instance, while the Rolex once again appears, it is a source of humour primarily and doesn’t really represent anything deeper.

However, the looming presence of money once again rears its ugly head when the landlord of the apartment reveals that their parents were behind on rent. So, like the other two families, there is a hidden financial conflict, with the landlord’s revelation abruptly stopping their trip down memory lane. They have to leave the home behind, as their parents’ life is reduced to a few pieces of furniture in a storage unit. While it is unclear what the future holds for this pair, it is clear that, once again, money has this hold over them.

In Father Mother Sister Brother money ends up corrupting, limiting, or negatively influencing every character’s world in different ways. It’s the root of most of these families’ problems, and ultimately, director Jim Jarmusch does a great job at highlighting this incredibly realistic and relatable issue.