Why Does Portman Seek Out Jack?

There are a few easy answers to this one. Here are two that immediately spring to mind:

1. Portman's character enjoys dominating Jack. It's an addictive sub/dom relationship that Jack, despite his attempts to seem like a bad-ass, cannot resist regressing back into. He gives Portman's character permission to visit, gives her his room number, hastily cleans his room and carefully selects Peter Sarstedt's "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)" for her entrance. On the part of Portman's character, she clearly relishes the psychosexual hold she has on Jack and knows that he will take her back, if only for a night. Which leads to the second point...

2. Portman's character has been physically abused by a man (boyfriend?) and flees to Jack so that she can return to a dominating role where she is more comfortable. By proving to herself that she still has what it takes to ensnare Jack, her confidence is restored.

Those theories don't require great leaps of logic or analysis, but that doesn't mean they're right. There is plenty going on here and Jack, despite all other indications, might be speaking honestly when he denies any feelings Portman's character. What do you think?

Welcome

Wes Anderson's Hotel Chevalier was an appetizer for many fans leading up to The Darjeeling Limited, generating huge blogger buzz when it was released for free on iTunes. Here are some of the best blog posts from when it first came out:

SlashFilm
Neatorama
BlogsAreForDogs
Popwatch

This site is meant to explore and vet various theories about the characters, their actions and their motivations. Please leave comments on the topics you would like to see discussed and a post will be devoted to it.