Murray is one of those actors with a talent so unique that not many directors know how to best utilise it.

The exceptions are Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola and now the silver topped auteur Jim Jarmsuch who wrote Broken Flowers specifically for Murray.

Never in the history of film has watching an actor sit in silence been so fascinating.

Rather than pushing you away, he invites you into his loneliness; he wants you to share in his solitude. The simplest roll of the eyes speaks a thousand words.

With an interesting opening title sequence where we are given a letter’s eye view of how the US Postal service works, we cut to a living room and Murray’s character Don Johnston, sitting on his couch staring blankly at the Douglas Fairbanks movie The Private Life of Don Juan as his latest girlfriend (Julie Delpy) walks out on him.

Resigned to being alone once more, the aging lothario finds himself reflecting on his past conquests when a pink letter arrives in the mail.

Sent by an anonymous former lover, it informs him that he has a 19 year old son who may be on the road looking for his father.

Don is urged to solve this mystery by his close friend and neighbour Winston, an Ethiopian with 5 kids, 3 jobs and a fondness for amateur detective work.

Researching his past love life and narrowing the writer of the letter down to 4 former flames (Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange and Tilda Swinton), Winston provides Don with an itinerary and sends him off on a cross-country road trip down memory lane in search of his son.

The ending is fairly inconclusive and leaves you scratching your head, wondering what was the point of it all. But Jim Jarmusch, aided by another brilliant performance by Murray, reveals just enough of Don’s character to suggest that his search may have actually yielded a result.

It’s a slow burner but Broken Flowers has an endearing quality with just enough laughs to make it grow on you.

Matt Harris