Paterson

Paterson is a small town in New Jersey with a population of around 140,000. You may not have heard of it before, but like every small town there is much that is intriguing about Paterson. Like the famous names that were born in the town or passed through at some point… In his eponymous film, Jim Jarmusch sends a subtle nod to all of these names, above all the doctor-poet William Carlos Williams, who penned the epic poem, ‘Paterson’. The focus of the film, however, is less the town itself than an unknown, unremarkable inhabitant of the same name, the bus driver Paterson. Played by Adam Driver, an independent actor as unassuming as he is authentic, Paterson leads an extremely monotonous life. He gets up at the same time every morning, goes to work, scribbles down the lines of poetry that spring to mind before he starts work, eavesdrops on his passengers’ conversations as he drives, walks his wife Laura’s dog at night and stops by at the same bar…

Paterson spans seven ordinary days in the life of this couple, homing in on ordinary events in the natural course of life. As he draws us into the level landscape of the plot, Jarmusch forges a remarkable bond between us and the characters in his by now familiar world. Giving special emphasis to poetry as a vanishing art form, the film challenges us to stop and understand the finer things, as well as to see the charm of the mundane. It remains for us to rise to the challenge and surrender ourselves to the simple rhythm of this poetic meditation.

Ahmet Gürata

USA
115'
2016

Director
Jim Jarmusch

Script
Jim Jarmusch

Cinematography
Frederick Elmes

Editing
Affonso Gonçalves

Production
K5 International

Cast
Adam Driver
Golshifteh Farahani

Music
Sqürl

Festivals
22nd Festival on Wheels
World Cinema-2016