Paterson - A Movie Review

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Paterson is a 2016 film. Taking audiences through the ordinary life of a New Jersey city bus driver named Paterson, he has a passion for writing poetry. Observing the everyday life around him, he finds inspiration in the smallest details and writes poems in his notebook.

Paterson is a poetic, simple, and complex film wrapped into one. The film is so simple following a similar regiment which can get boring after a while. However, the film makes a compelling point about embracing artistic expression.

Adam Driver is a splendid and versatile actor. Playing a man named Paterson, he is a bus driver who has a talent for writing poetry. Before filming started, Driver went to bus driving school to be more authentic in the role. Paterson always pays attention to little details. Driver plays this character with the right quiet countenance.

Paterson and Laura’s (Golshiteh Farahani) loving relationship is portrayed effectively by the actors. Their relationship is my favorite part of this film. This is the best example of a loving and supportive relationship. I love whenever the pair interacted. Laura is filled with ambition, discovering her own quirky passions and encouraging her husband to do more with his poems.

Credits also include an ensemble of minor characters who Paterson sees along his normal routine. Rizwan Manji is my favorite as Donny who always has something going on.

Also included in the cast is an adorable dog named Marvin, played wonderfully by Nellie. Marvin is very responsive to the situation, growling or barking. He even got jealous when his owners danced together.

Paterson is an impactful lesson in the world of poetry. The poems are conducted beautifully by Driver. Written by director Jim Jarmusch or contemporary poet, Ron Padgett, the film attests that we can make poems out of anything. Paterson is based on a personal story of Jarmusch, basing some conversations in the movie on ones he heard in real life.

There is a point where the film becomes too heavy on its simple tone. We’re taken through a full week of the day and life of Paterson. He wakes up, goes to work, writes a poem, gets a beer at a bar, and has conversations with his friends. Something different happens each day.

However, this simplistic tone drives the point home on how we need to look at life. Life is complex. We may find ourselves in the same routine every day but we need to do something different. Stop, look, and listen.

Each camera shot is effective, setting up the characters and the setting. Some shots were random like an image of shoes or a glass of water, but they held meaning to the story. I liked Jarmusch’s direction of scenes as a slow and quiet build-up. The imagery is beautiful, often utilizing a waterfall backdrop.

It is clear that Paterson is a film for artists. It’s important to learn new things as you get older. Take a look at what’s going on in your surroundings and write it down. As a writer and artist myself that’s what drew me into watching this film. Lately, I have been drawn to writing poems but in my own style.

Poems don’t have to abide by the same stylistic rules. Just write about anything which is what I have trouble with sometimes. Watching Paterson gave me new inspiration.

Paterson is an effective film but it is slow. The film may not be everyone’s cup of tea with its slow build-up. Writers and artists should add it to their lists.