A harmonious life: 'Paterson' by Jim Jarmusch
US filmmaker Jim Jarmusch is an icon of independent cinema. His new film "Paterson" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The dog of the movie was the only one to receive an award.
An introvert in the lead
In his new film, Jim Jarmusch portrays different episodes of the life of the bus driver Paterson, who lives in the same-named small town in New Jersey. He leads an unspectacular life there with his pregnant wife, Laura. Paterson is a quiet and somewhat shy person.
A love story
Paterson (Adam Driver) and Laura (Golshifteh Farahani) are a young couple in a very intimate relationship. They cuddle up to each other every night and wake up that way the next morning. With its repeating imagery, the film "Paterson" offers a contemplative narrative structure.
The life of a bus driver
With its repetitive sequences, the structure of "Paterson" reminds viewers of the daily loops that keep repeating in "Groundhog Day." Yet instead of making a comedy, Jim Jarmusch wanted to explore the melancholic aspects of daily life, which nevertheless hold some surprises.
Daily routine
Paterson's day is always structured the same way. He wakes up, goes to work, comes back home, spends time with his wife, walks the dog and drinks a beer at the local pub.
Variations on a pattern
In the bus, but also at the pub, Paterson meets friends and strangers. These meetings with people from different social classes create disruptions in the movie's cinematic loops.
Bus driver and thinker
On top of his job and relationship, Paterson also works on his poetry. Whenever he takes a break at work or during his free time, he writes poems in the notebook he always carries with him. He is a fan of the great modernist poet William Carlos Williams.
Forever young filmmaker
Jim Jarmusch presented the film along with his two main actors, Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Driver, at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Born in 1953, the film directer is a cult figure of US independent cinema. He's always kept in touch with the existential preoccupations of young people.
The dog received the Palm
The film, director and actors didn't receive any awards in Cannes - but at least the dog did. The English bulldog Nellie received the Palm Dog Award, a prize given since 2001 to the best canine performance (live or animated) at the Cannes Film Festival. It was unfortunately a posthumous award, as Nellie died after the film was shot. "Paterson" is now opening in theaters worldwide.