I think Paterson taught me more about how my own preconceptions can colour my view of a movie than any other. The early notes I made while watching Jim Jarmusch’s latest are all about the mundanity of the title character’s life, wondering how unhappy he was below the surface and how it would present itself. Turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong — while I was viewing the movie as about a person stuck in a routine, it was slowly unfurling a beautiful portrait of a man content with his simple pleasures, able to be inspired by the world around him in subtle ways. It’s somewhat low-concept, with a niche appeal, but the warmth of the lead performances and Jarmusch’s lyricial photography elevate it to a true highlight of the year.
The title of the movie refers to both the name of the lead character (Adam Driver), and the city in New Jersey that serves as his hometown and the setting of the movie. We follow a regular week in Paterson’s life — he works an early Monday-Friday shift as a bus driver, comes home to his wife, and walks her dog, stopping at a local bar to drink one beer and chat with the other regulars. When he finds time, he writes poetry down in a private notebook. There are only minor disruptions in this cycle, yet by the end, the movie — much like Paterson’s poetry — finds a profound beauty in the simple everyday.
Driver’s performance as Paterson is subtle, precise, and incredibly real. He mostly has a reputation for playing ‘live-wire’, intense figures — see Girls and Star Wars — yet his performances in this and Inside Llewyn Davis show he can also play much more low-key characters impeccably. We don’t learn much about the character’s past, with a picture of him in a military uniform our only clue, but every part of the movie does a beautiful job of letting us know who he is in the present. He clearly enjoys the amateur anthropology of listening to the passengers he transports (with their conversations providing the most classically Jarmuschian elements of the movie), and is empathetic and interested in others. He is stoic on the outside, keeping his emotions close to his chest and acting largely pleasant and polite, yet has a depth of feeling for those around him. He bares his soul in his poetry, yet is nervous about revealing any of it to the world, despite blatantly having the talent. He seems almost meek, and clearly prefers to avoid conflict, yet is a man of action when necessary. The movie fills out the character incredibly well without ever coming out and telling you anything — the script and performance together are almost a 101 in how a character study should work.
Equally as important as Paterson is his wife, Laura (played by Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who I will definitely be keeping an eye on from now on) — together they present one of the best examples of domestic bliss I’ve ever seen on screen. While both are artistic spirits, Laura is more outward about it, as shown by the patterns she draws on the food she packs for Paterson’s lunch. The difference between their sensibilities is expressed fairly literally — Paterson keeps his art private, while Laura displays hers everywhere, designing and creating many of the couple’s home furnishings. When she decides to pursue something, she can seen almost reckless, with her first glimpse of interest in the guitar causing her to express the potential she has to be a famous country singer and ask for hundreds of dollars (clearly a lot for them) to purchase a specific model she likes. The relationship has so much potential for conflict via inequalities and differences in character — he is the main breadwinner while she stays at home, he is somewhat old-fashioned while her style is extremely modern (he doesn’t even own a mobile phone, she has a ton of technology), she sees her dog as her baby despite it clearly having a jealousy and perhaps hatred of Paterson — yet it is clear both are completely content with their roles, Paterson enjoying his simple life and Laura appreciating the opportunity to pursue her art and dreams all day. Their support of and mutual respect for one another moved me greatly, and reminded me of the marriage between Marge and Norm Gunderson in Fargo — there are no grand loving gestures, yet the two could not be more comfortable with each other and happy to be together.
The poetry, a mix of pre-existing work and pieces written for the film by Ron Padgett, is largely minimalist yet hugely evocative. A poem Paterson writes for Laura towards the beginning is largely about the brand of matches they buy, yet his description of the design of the box blooms into something sincere and heartfelt. In a similar vein, a description of his job in another poem — “I go through / trillions of molecules / that move aside / to make way for me / while on both sides / trillions more / stay where they are” shows how is able to find acres of meaning in simple activities. The film is, much like Jarmusch’s previous Only Lovers Left Alive, about the act of creativity, and clearly shows a deep and loving respect for craft. When both Paterson and another poet he meets recite their work, their words are very precise, giving every letter and syllable the utmost importance. Jarmusch films so many simple, everyday objects with a tender, amorous gaze, and gets across the way in which artists are inspired by the world around them absolutely wonderfully.
As with most Jarmusch pictures, the movie has a slight, low-key tone, with completely undramatised dialogue and a mildly absurd sense of humour. The running gags throughout the movie — particularly those involving two quarrelling lovers at the bar — are amusing and cute without taking away from the movie’s existential tone. Yet there is a faint undercurrent of being stuck throughout — the city of Paterson itself seems run-down in places, whereas many of the patrons at the bar largely talk about previous famous residents of the city, long since dead. It almost seems like the city is living in the past or holding Paterson down, but the character himself clearly doesn’t feel this way. I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of this (or of the fact that Paterson is almost the only non-minority character), but it does add a little more depth to the proceedings (or could be an opportunity for Jarmusch to create a more diverse feature).
Paterson is very possibly the simplest, most humble movie Jarmusch has ever made, yet also feels like his most personal and passionate. I found it an absolute pleasure to view the hidden depths of a man with simple tastes and pleasures, and was frequently touched by the genuine love present in the relationship between the leads. I can’t promise it will be for everyone — I can imagine a lot of “nothing happens it’s well shit why isn’t Kylo killing people” type of posts all over IMDb — but those who it resonates with will find one of the best indie dramas of recent years. I’m happy Jarmusch is one of those filmmakers who is still improving his craft as he ages. Can’t wait to see what he cooks up next.
