A delicate icing on the brilliant cake that is The Darjeeling Limited (though I am willing to admit, Portman panty-less – bruises and all, may have a little something to do with my reason for loving this short all on it’s own….) That being said, it is a kind addition to the film’s story, and of course, it follows the same unique “retro” Wes Anderson-style that always wins me over.

Awesome imagery in this one. The colors, the actions and the characters are great. Plus, you get to see Natalie Portman naked!

This 13-minute short was originally made available for download on iTunes, but it was pulled from the store after a month when it was decided the short would be played before The Darjeeling Limited. It provides some backstory for Jack, one of the brothers in the feature film, and it’s a great character study.

Natalie Portman plays Jason Schwartzman’s ex-lover who calls him up in his hotel in Paris with the news that she’ll be there in half an hour. Once she arrives it’s a perfect capture of a relationship gone bad, but not so bad that it’s completely over yet. The sense of entitlement she has when she lays back on his bed and kicks her legs up, one at a time, so he can unzip her boots is perfect, as is the slow-motion tenderness evident in the way he drapes her in his bathrobe before they go on his balcony to look out at Paris.