Director: Jim Jarmusch.
Starring: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani.
Jim Jarmusch could almost be mistaken for being an European director coupled with his name and style of film making. Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai being a personal favourite of his work. I was looking forward to seeing this, a film that's been on the boil for almost twenty years.
It's actually difficult to get excited about seeing this film because the plot is about a bus driver/secret poet named Paterson who was born and bred, resides and works in the city of Paterson, New Jersey. Spending the week, witnessing his daily routine from breakfast cereal to the nightly tipple at the local bar. Sounds mundane right? But this is a Jarmusch movie, so one can expect interesting, yet realistic characters with some light touches of comedy.
Adam Driver plays Paterson brilliantly, portraying a kind, gently soul who plods through life one day at a time with urges to write his poetry when the opportunity arises. Concerning and polite, you can tell he's quite the dreamer but instead distracted by what happens around him in real-life. A true pro and people-watching eavesdropping conversations of everyday passengers who board his bus.
Persian beauty, Golshifteh Farahani plays Laura, Paterson's girlfriend who's obsessed with anything and everything black and white, weaving it into her incredible drive for creativity; painting everything, dressmaking and cupcake cooking. The couple who appeared not necessarily opposites, but an unlikely matches actually centers around understanding one another, accommodating and encourage each other's creativeness.
And let me not forget to mention the late Nellie, the British Bulldog who plays Marvin, Laura's possibly jealous dog that has a pivotal role in the movie. Nellie is the first canine actress to posthumously receive the Palm Dog award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her role in the movie.
We meet the strange, interesting characters that populate anyone's life that are only noticed when one cares to look and listen about. Sitting at a bar, alone, after a long day can give you a front seat row to the happenings about you as they flit in and out of the bar, on and off the bus during the whole story.
It's superbly shot, using much of the city and clever reflective shots throughout. Something you can expect from Jarmusch. While silence or conversation make up most of the film, Carter Logan does a lovely, soft score that's more like a whispering wind during times of contemplation.
It's not going to be everyone's typical fare, as it's purposefully slow paced, but it's inspired me to dig out my poems of old and maybe even put a pen to paper again. It's a charming, light-hearted story of everyday life through the eyes of a poet, that happens to be a bus driver.
Running Time: 7
The Cast: 9
Performance: 9
Direction: 9
Story: 9
Script: 9
Creativity: 8
Soundtrack: 7
Job Description: 8
The Extra Bonus Point: 5 for being original and different.
80% 8/10
