Paterson (2016)

Review

118min

Genre:      Comedy, Drama

Director:   Jim Jarmusch

Cast:        Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Henley…more

Writer:     Jim Jarmusch

-Synopsis-

Writer/director Jim Jarmusch brings us a week in the life of “Paterson”; local bus driver, amateur poet and non-ironic resident of Paterson New Jersey, using his day-to-day experiences to colour his daily routine and feed into his poetry, while his free-spirited wife juggles ever-changing life goals in this unapologetically positive ode to the unbound nature of poetry, and everything which inspires it.

In a career spanning over 35 years and encompassing virtually every aspect of filmmaking, Jim Jarmusch has certainly earned his reputation as a singular writer/director, with films that could only ever be attributed to his unique style and which run the gamut of tones, themes and styles. And with the latest addition to his indie comedy/drama catalogue, Jarmusch delivers perhaps his least eventful but no less emotive and arguably most reflective film to date.

Adam Driver stars as “Paterson”; a stoic and sensitive bus driver for his namesake city in modern-day New Jersey, living with his far more impulsive but equally artistic wife “Laura” (Golshifteh Farahani) and their spirited dog “Marvin”. Inspired by the experiences and encounters he has during his regimented daily life, “Paterson” composes his lyrical but practical poetry which reflects his seemingly mundane but contented existence, but which uncovers the poetic potential in all of our daily lives.

Even for a Jim Jarmusch film ‘Paterson’ is a bit of a curiosity, but a pleasant one at that; this rather still and reflective comedy/drama is as quirky as you might expect but far more pensive than anything you’re likely to see in modern cinema, a microcosm of an ordinary man’s life which serves as an ode to poetry and the poetic potential of everyday life, and all the little mundane things we take for granted.

This is also very much a tribute the working-class New Jersey town where it’s set and its illustrious residents who came from humble origins over the years; from 1950s middleweight contender and wrongful imprisonment victim Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, to beat poet Allen Ginsberg and one half of legendary US comedy duo “Abbott & Costello” Lou Costello, and these people plus the town which unites them is a central part of the narrative in the film.

But Jarmusch saves his main focus for another favourite son of the city William Carlos Williams; a celebrated and hugely influential 20th Century poet whose epic poem “Paterson” is also drawn from the influence of this humble town, making ‘Paterson’ the film almost akin to a loose interpretation of the poem, and “Paterson” the character a spiritual successor to Carlos Williams himself.

Adam Driver delivers a nuanced and understated but beguiling lead performance, with Golshifteh Farahani benefiting from a free emotional hand as his self-styled supportive wife, while Nellie the dogs steals virtually every scene she’s in as “Marvin” the English bulldog. But despite the performances, there’s no real drama in this narrative, nor is this a riotous comedy, and that’s what makes this a distinctly acquired taste piece of work.

‘Paterson’ is not your typical “dramedy”, in fact it’s not your typical anything; a story that doesn’t really go anywhere apart from where it started, which doesn’t explore the harsh realities and history of the town in which it’s set, and characters who never really have to overcome anything in a narrative which makes no attempt to really delve into their psychologies. Instead this is a film which captures a pretty standard week in the life of these people, with no bells & whistles but plenty of space for contemplation, deliberately putting across the central message in the film of poetry and beauty in the mundane.

Ultimately that’s what ‘Paterson’ is; an unapologetically positive and hopeful ode to not only the town in which it’s set, but a tribute to the classic American practical school of poetry which it helped to inspire. One which rather than be driven by extreme beauty or suffering, is inspired by the poetic nature of everyday experiences and how we process them. And like all Jarmusch films, you can either take it or leave it, but rest assured you won’t find anything like it anytime soon.

The Bottom Line…

While it may be uneventful and not quite up to the standard of some of Jim Jarmusch’s previous work, ‘Paterson’ has a tranquil and hypnotic allure and enough quirk to just about make it a cinematic delight. This ode to the poetic potential and beauty of everyday life and everyday people may be positive and hopeful to a fault, but it makes it a must see for Jarmusch fans… and perhaps a pleasant surprise for anyone else.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Broken Flowers (2005)

Bill Murray stars as a single and reclusive middle-aged man, whose aimless life is turned upside down when he receives an anonymous letter claiming he has a long-lost son. Now with the help of a determined neighbour he embarks on a cross-country road trip to track down his old lovers and solve the mystery, in this delightful and quirky dramedy from writer/director Jim Jarmusch.

Directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Bill Murray, Sharon Stone and Jeffrey Wright  among others.

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