I think the first one I saw was The Royal Tenenbaums. After seeing it I thought it was okay, another movie about dysfunctional families, so what? After seeing more of Anderson’s movies I became more aware of the kinds of stories he tells and one can see what kind of writer/director he is. Seeing that film again a few years later and I can appreciate and enjoy it a little bit more, but at the end of the day it’s another movie about a dysfunctional family though with Anderson’s unique storytelling, and it has a stellar cast, which certainly helps to elevate it.

It’s interesting when you talk about films that “connect with your soul” with those special ingredients that we can’t really quantify. I think that it’s perhaps a good thing that very few movies can do this as it keeps it magical. We can enjoy good movies and be entertained, but the next level really is to touch one’s inner core in a way that movies seldom do regularly.

For me Anderson’s breakthrough film was The Darjeeling Limited, which I genuinely love. This speaks to me in a way the others hadn’t so far so I hold this in high regard.