Paterson (2016)

I have noticed a trend lately of aging film makers who, in their youth, made revolutionary films, now, having matured, focus on the most mundane aspects of life and perhaps making even more satisfying films. Indie darling Jim Jarmusch has made a film which focuses on small details, day to day details, and it is surprisingly beautiful.

He films Paterson in a manner which captures a loveliness to the little New Jersey town. Paterson the town is quiet and everyday yet completely habitable, layered in romantic brick and held together by quaint power lines. And in the middle of that he places Adam Driver's Paterson who is equally hospitable and lovely without appearing extraordinary. Both the town and the man are lovely and average, a little quiet, a little special. A big part of Jarmusch's success here is how much he makes us like them.

Paterson is a series of moments in Paterson's days over one week.  He gets up. He drives bus. He listens to divergent conversations by his riders. He walks the dog. He engages with his long time girlfriend in the way long time couples do about small things. Jarmusch brings a beauty to these daily routines.

Paterson is about poetry. Paterson, the man, the bus driver, writes on his breaks. Here is where Jarmusch lets the magic show through. The poetry (provided by poet Ron Padgett) is beautiful and Jarmusch visually represents it. This evoked the similar Poetic Justice by John Singleton. The juxtaposition of Driver's deadpan delivery reading and his artful words creates this wonderful sense of salience, of power. 

The film reaches a very banal yet devastating crisis and its resolution is also prosaic. Paterson is about words, beautiful words, meaningless words, words said in passing. It is about finding ones words, perhaps finding what makes us unique and special among all the others.

Paterson
Starring: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Henley
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writers: Jim Jarmusch, Ron Padgett