Paterson

I loved Mr. Jarmusch’s romantic vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), and this one dances in the same category.

Director Jim Jarmusch is an artistic savant. His films become a poetic treasure, which is exactly what happens in Paterson.

It is a simple story about an average couple who live together in Paterson, New Jersey. Adam Driver has the ironic name of Paterson, a bus driver who fills his waking moments writing poetry in a notebook. Each day is a routine where he gets up at the same time, drives the same route while listening to passengers tell their stories. He then returns home with his lunch box where he embraces his girlfriend before taking their dog on a short walk where he stops in a bar for one beer.

Goulshifth Farahani is gives an engaging performance as Laura, a young woman eager to succeed in life. A would-be designer whose creations are all in black and white, she secretly wants to pursue a country music career in Nashville.

Mr. Jarmusch’s likeable film resembles moments in everyone’s life. While we all want to fall passionately in love and pursue a successful career, we are left fighting the ravages caused by life’s frequent repetitiveness.

With Paterson, we all see the value of pursuing little things in life. For Mr. Driver, it was writing poetry, while with me it is doing movie reviews. We both enjoy the experience while hoping that it provides some satisfaction and meaning to a few others. It makes life worth living.