Paterson (2016) - Analysis

Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson (2016) starring Adam Driver is a textbook example of what a festival film is about. It takes a Driver, a well-known star who has been in popular franchises like Star Wars and puts him into a low-key role. It is a romantic film about a poet’s everyday life as a bus driver with his wife and dog. From this premise, it is clear that it does not rely on big action-packed moments to tell its story. It is on a more human scale that more people can relate to.

Paterson has a sincere tone that does not make fun of anyone. Paterson’s wife, Laura has many odd hobbies and a particular aesthetic. She always talks about her dreams, from becoming a successful pastry chef to a country star. Every day, she puts her creative spin on the designs inside the house, painting in bold black and white, and hanging several portraits of their dog on the walls. Her dreams are not interpreted to be a joke. She ends up winning a decent amount of money in a cupcake competition and was enthusiastic when she got her guitar to begin practicing. Paterson is shown to love his wife for who she is and dedicates many of his poems to her.

Everett, the man at the bar who doesn't accept the break up with his girlfriend, while painted to be a little out of his mind, in the end, is treated seriously. Before the end of the film, they come back to him and how he has grown to accept the state of his relationship.

The style of the film maintains austerity and minimalism. When Paterson is asked if he writes, he normally downplays his work. Although the movie is focused around his poetry, to him, it is only a hobby that does not require fantastic attention. This brings the character down to a human level that many people can relate to; a stark contrast to the vast amounts of superhero films seen in theaters today. His wife repeatedly tells him to get his book copied so it can be read forever. Just as he values his wife and everything she is passionate about, she does the same for him with his poetry. This encompasses the minimalism of the movie. A repetitive flow is created as the movie follows Paterson every day of the week. This reflects the style of poems. Where things are parallel to each other in poems it is parallel in this movie. This includes the mentions of twins and matches. Not only does Paterson write about it, but examples of them are seen throughout Paterson’s world as well.

The focus of this film revolves around small moments. It shows that every day is built of small moments that can create one big picture. It is simple and shows realistic interactions between people. It is especially showcased in the conversations. On the bus he overhears different types of people talk about their lives. As a bus driver, windows into other people’s lives are opened. The people he comes across inadvertently influence his own life, like when the bus breaks down and he does not have his one phone to call for help. After this incident, he is convinced to get one to use for emergencies. There are other moments such as when he walks past a laundromat and overhears a man working on a rap, or at the bar and the bartender gets scolded by his wife. Through the lens of Paterson, we see how other people in this world live, and it is something that a lot of people can relate to.

The Narrative is loose. The climax of the film was as simple as Paterson and Laura going out for one night and come home to find that the dog had torn apart Paterson’s book of poetry. This brings us to the end of the movie where he goes to one of his usual spots to eat lunch. There, he shares a bench with a Japanese man who came to Paterson, New Jersey because of a famous poet that lived there. They share a conversation that is punctuated with the man gifting Paterson with a fresh journal for new poems. The audience only gets a glimpse of what he ends up writing inside of it. The movie ends as it had begun, with the couple in bed just as it is time to wake up on a Monday.