Real life is mundane. Movies help us escape.
They take us very far from the everydayness that we reserve for loved ones, co-workers and anyone within earshot.
“Paterson,” a masterpiece of slow cinema, flips the script and tells an exceedingly uncomplicated story about a bus driver and his loving wife. You can count the cast’s size on your fingers and toes, but every moment is well-crafted and brilliant in its simplicity. The title character (Adam Driver) wakes up every morning, goes to work and does it again the next day.
He fills the void with poetry. Borrowing the words of Tulsa-born poet Ron Padgett, who supplied much of the film’s poetry, Paterson examines his surroundings with the help of a journal and quietly weaves through work days like you or I would. I don’t have much else to say other than just everything in this story works. That’s so rare.
We all have a life story, but very few are this well crafted. I can’t suggest director Jim Jarmusch’s film enough. It moves at a beautiful pace, and it’s so thoughtful. I think that’s something we could all benefit from right now.
More reviews from this weekend here.
