Jim Jarmusch's 2016 film PATERSON is a study of everyday life in a small American city. Its title refers on one hand to its setting of Paterson, New Jersey, much less known abroad than other towns in the state but a surprising number of prominent Americans hailed from there and it was eulogized in an epic-length work by the poet William Carlos Williams. On the other hand, Paterson is coincidentally the last name of our protagonist, a thirty-something bus driver played by Adam Driver.The film is a day-by-day account of one week in Paterson's life and in fact each day is rather the same: Paterson wakes up, kisses his wife (played by Golshifteh Farahani), goes to work driving the bus, comes home, eats dinner with his wife, takes the dog for a walk, and has a beer at the local bar. Yet Paterson also has an unusual hobby: for some time he has written poetry during each day's lunch break, and he has filled a small notebook with poems that his wife calls wonderful, but which he has never shown to anyone else.There is a plot to Paterson, that is, an increasing of tension and a sudden and jarring climax, but overall Jarmusch is not aiming for any grand and intricate storytelling here. Instead, he is intentionally trying to capture the quiet music of one ordinary person's existence. Or should I say, two ordinary people's existence, for the film sympathetically captures this couple's marriage. Their relationship is a simple, uncomplicated one of trust and mutual understanding. Paterson is extremely fortunate to have this, as events around him show. (The script is by Sara Driver, Jarmusch's partner of decades, and one might see the film as a hymn to their own special relationship.) Many viewers are likely to find this heartwarming, while other viewers in more fraught marriages might burn with jealousy at Paterson and his wife's incredible harmony.Those familiar with Jarmusch's earlier work know that he has always liked to show a great deal of urban blight before the camera, such as vacant lots overgrown with weeds and graffitied walls. For Jarmusch, these backdrops supposedly served as a counterweight to the typical Hollywood depictions of the USA as all glitz, and it helped to underscore the bohemian qualities of his characters. Yet this blight surprisingly absent here. Paterson, New Jersey is instead shown as a clean and fairly prosperous town. Its residents, regardless of socioeconomic status or race, are depicted as rather content people.In fact, at regular points in the film Jarmusch depicts interactions between whites and African-Americans or between gays and straights as if celebrating our new modern era when all those old divisions don't matter any more. This is definitely the most optimistic film that Jarmusch has ever shot, but this utopian vision does come across as a little heavy-handed and one feels that Jarmusch is overlooking pressing social issues that continue to hold many people back. Watching this film, I couldn't help but protest that this gentrified setting is not all of America, just a privileged few. Still, in spite of the film's flaws, the depiction of married life and the way that poetry is worked into the story is very moving, and I do feel this is worth watching, at least for established Jarmusch fans or those comfortable with indie cinema.

Poetry..images..corners...rhythms.... everything fine

Paterson is a movie that is, put simply, wonderful. The poetry along with the humor and romance is perfectly combined. None take away from another. They are all equal. The use of telling this story through the lives of two ordinary people makes it that much better. The casting in Paterson could not be better. Jarmusch could not have selected a better person to play Paterson, than Adam Driver. In true Adam Driver fashion, he captivates the audience through his delivery of lines and the nuances in his voice that make him unique and perfect for this movie. Likewise, Golshifteh Farahani equally captivates the audience as she contributes so much to not only the story and her influence on the life of Paterson, but more specifically the humor with in the movie and his life. As for the story itself, the slow moving nature of the story allows for the audience to immerse itself in the story. The ideas that inspire the poetry of Paterson are truly ordinary and that's what makes it special. The movie is not reaching for far beyond inspiration for the poetry. It utilizes aspects that everyone comes across in real life. Whether it be an interaction with a child waiting for their mother, or nature, the story shows that inspiration does not have to come from others. It does not come from smartphones and what we see online. But rather, what is right in front of us. The people around us, the communities in which we live. That is the inspiration. The movie does not reach for anything far fetched when it comes to the poetry and what inspires it. It is the ordinary people, like Paterson who quietly go about their duties that inspire all of us and the poetry within the movie. It is a truly special in this way. It teaches us that, you may never know who someone really is. To most people, Paterson is just the name of a town in New Jersey. To others, it is a bus driver. But to others, it is a person that can bring the beauty out of the English language. The usage of the ordinary lives of ordinary people makes this movie wonderful as it makes the characters feel as if you know them- which is not always accomplished in todays day and age of cinema. I would recommend this movie to everyone. It is truly a work of art.

If there is an inkling of an artist in you, you will love this movie. If there is kernel of humanity in you, you will treasure it forever. Every word and every screenshot is beautiful, as true beauty is, full of complexity and foreboding and layers of meaning. Jim Jarmusch has created a masterpiece that is likely to go unacknowledged in our noisy world. Adam Driver is among the best actors of our time. He perhaps may be equaled, but I am now convinced he is not surpassed by anyone. He has sneaked on us, and we are yet to fully realize how truly great he is. We should be grateful to these two artists and their excellent collaborators. The final two scenes will make you cry with joy.