Paterson

Year: 2016
Genre: Drama
Directed: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Rizwan Manji, Barry Shabaka Henley, Chasten Harmon, William Jackson Harper, Trevor Parham, Tony T. Parham, Method Man, Sophia Muller, Masatoshi Nagase, Kara Hayward
Production: Amazon Studios

Whether or not Paterson leaves an impression on you is almost beside the point. The movie, through its austere prose, deliberate cinematography and languishing pace has all the hallmarks of director Jim Jarmusch's other films. To the uninitiated it can feel rather insular; yet Paterson draws attention to itself precisely because it doesn't draw attention to itself. It stands like a plain segment of brick, waiting for you to paint your own feelings and experiences on top of it.

Paterson surmises the week in the life of a quiet Paterson, New Jersey bus driver coincidentally named Paterson (Driver). In addition to quietly eavesdropping on the occupants of his quaint city bus, our protagonist spends his lunch hour sitting on a park bench silently writing poetry in his "secret notebook". His girlfriend Laura (Farahani) insists he makes copies of his work but Paterson's vacant look hides the fact he probably never will.

His poetry randomly emerges in big block lettering as Paterson recites in the midst of deep thought. The film further captures Paterson's serenity juxtaposing his face with carefully composed frames of the everyday. "I go through trillions of molecules, that move aside to make way for me. While on both sides, trillions more stay where they are." The sights, the sounds, the words; all create a collage of pulchritude.

Yet despite a veneer of sparse beauty, Paterson can't help but drive into certain narrative potholes. In the past, Jarmusch's ascetic style gelled with the quixotism of modern culture largely because his characters had some form of agency. If you were to compare Ghost Dog (1999) to Don in Broken Flowers (2005) you'd realize that the internal conflicts are brought about by external forces. This is not the case in Paterson. Paterson, listlessly wades through his life, tittering through the patterns and coincidences that surround him while assuming nothing. He's an empty vessel; a character who exemplifies the gentle drone of everyday existence. A canvass in which we see our own common foibles.

Robert Bresson: 1901-1999

Jarmusch seems to be pushing the knobs and turning the dials in Robert Bresson's old wheelhouse. That in itself wouldn't be a problem though, Bresson's clarity of thought always seemed to shine through his blank-slated characters and minimalist milieu. Jarmusch's style, as fastidious as it is has always struck me as a little too in it's own head. Ironic since Bresson was once dubbed the patron saint of cinema and Jarmusch seems to want the title of guru. Paterson especially, with visually implied spirituality and animism wants its audience to find deeper meanings in its pastiche form of zen.

It's a tall order to appreciate the ineffable wisdom of everyday life in any capacity, let alone in a movie. And while Paterson succeeds in sections, the key interactions between Paterson and Laura leaves far too much unsaid. Laura is never given much of a life outside of their working-class bungalow. When not baking cupcakes for the weekend's farmer's market, Laura paints, stitches and strums on her guitar while Paterson silently indulges her whimsical fantasies.

While some may deride their living situation as retrograde, the larger problem is a lack of basic humanity on Paterson's part. As written, our protagonist can't help but feel less like a person than a foreign force, interminably out of place in Laura's warmth. When Paterson says he's working on a poem for her, Laura responds, "Is it a love poem?" to which he responds "It's written for you, so I guess that makes it a love poem." His glibness is hardly the stuff of finding beauty in the minuscule.

My impression of this movie.

Yet as I said, this movie isn't too concerned about whether it leaves an impression. Like water it can either wash over you, you thinking nothing of it, or it can erode you to your very core. Liking Paterson arguably says more about you than it says about the film. In my opinion watching a guy working his bus route, scribbling in his notebook and harboring animus for his girlfriend's dog is hardly worth two hours and ten dollars.

Final Grade: C+