Jim Jarmusch’s filmography contains such widely varied films as Dead Man (1995) starring Johnny Depp, Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), and Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (1999) starring Forrest Whitaker. One of the defining characteristics of a Jim Jarmusch film is that the viewer is constantly surprised it is a Jim Jarmusch film, such is his originality and singular vision when it comes to writing and directing. In Paterson, you have what is probably his finest and most poignant film of the lot.
The titular character played by the wonderful Adam Driver lives in Paterson, New Jersey. He drives a bus. He writes poetry every day on the bus before he starts his shift. He walks the same route to work everyday. He is married to the love of his life Laura, played by the effervescent Golshifteh Farahani. His dog, named Marvin, is a bulldog. He sits on the same seat everyday (Marvin) and stares at his male owner. Paterson walks Marvin to the local bar at the same time every evening, ties him up outside, and spends time with the barflies and the owner Doc played by Barry Henley.
This is the movie. But it is so much more. Paterson is an artist. He is inspired by his literary hero William Carlos Williams who was also from Paterson New Jersey and wrote a five volume epic poem entitled... Paterson. As he writes his poems (written by actual poet Ron Padgett), the words appear on screen, etched into the fabric of the film. They are beautiful and often in the beguiling and deceptively simplistic style of the great Williams. The film itself is a poem to the ordinary, the everyday. It is within the routines and trappings of our daily existence that great art is created. In between shifts and before the pub. After walking the dog and before dinner. He sometimes writes in his small basement room where he keeps his collection of books.
Jarmusch depicts one of the most natural, loving and supportive relationships on film. Each new day opens with a shot from above the couple, lying in bed together often wrapped up beside each other. Paterson starts his day with a soft kiss on the shoulder of his wife or sometimes a snuggle. The one day where he forgets, Laura waddles, half asleep to the kitchen to get her kiss, then returns to bed bleary-eyed. But it is not sentimental. Jarmusch manages, through the subtlety of the dialogue and his direction, to convey a true relationship. One which gives hope to the viewer that, through acceptance of an individual and all their foibles, love is possible. And it need not be announced with fireworks or a cliched ‘will they won’t they’. In the case of Paterson - they will.
Paterson often listens to the more revealing conversations of the passengers on his bus. People, unconsciously exposing their inner ideologies, through simple exchanges with a friend. This is the radar of the artist. The antenna which hones in on and picks up the minutiae of people’s personalities and idiosyncrasies. Jarmusch does conversations like no other writer and director. It seems a universal element of communication and film but one can always tell when it is through the artistic filter of Jim Jarmusch. Several exchanges between characters in the bar manage to successfully evoke the wider lives of the customers. They act like vignettes or mini plays allowing the viewer a glimpse into their daily existence.
Have I mentioned Marvin yet? The dog. Well he is brilliant. Marvin was so good in the film he went and won the Palm Dog. Yes it exists. The Palm Dog. It is awarded to the best performance by a dog or group of canines at the annual Cannes Film Festival in France. One of the most joyously funny scenes contains a lovely reveal which involves Marvin and the post box. Watch the movie to enjoy it for yourself.
Paterson’s wife wants to be a country singing star. She asks him to buy her a guitar in black and white (her favourite colours) so she can start learning. He obliges. There is no cynicism or negativity. Paterson may well believe that it is merely a pipe dream, but it is his wife’s pipe dream. She paints everything in black and white in their house - shower curtains, towels, you name it. Paterson touches everything first to check if it has been freshly painted. She is creative - she bakes cupcakes and sells them all at a market - with black and white swirly icing. She supports her husband in his own art - his poetry. She loves his art and she loves him. The only one indifferent to his art is Marvin. He is non-plussed.
There is a quiet strength and dignity to Paterson. Adam Driver gives an excellent performance which is the antithesis of verbosity. Like his poems, each word is chosen with thought and delivered with sincerity. A framed picture of him in a marine uniform hints at a previous career which may have exposed him to traumatic events - perhaps an explanation for his stoic approach to life. Driver himself was in the marines and like Paterson, immerses himself in art afterwards. He does not own a phone and wants to keep it that way. He is a man who enjoys isolation but is not isolated.
This absolute gem of a film explores what it is to create art. Paterson’s poems may never be published; Laura may never become a country singing star. But that is not important. It is in the creation and the pursuit of art where the gold lies. There will no doubt be thousands of William Carlos Williams or Hemingways that create art, but never get discovered. There will no doubt be millions of artists who simply do not have the skill or determination to elevate themselves to greatness. Paterson tells us to create anyway. So dust off that canvas, pick up that guitar, and create. Or if you are not feeling up to it right this second - watch Paterson.
Available on MUBI.