If you ever left me, I’d tear my heart out and never put it back|Nov. 17, 2016|France, Germany, United States|118 Min.|R
Genre: Comedy;Drama;Romance
Description: The 2016 film *Paterson*, written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, is a captivating blend of reality and fantasy. Set in the New Jersey city of Paterson, the film shares its name with both the location and its main character. Despite being shot on the actual streets of Paterson, the story unfolds as a poetic daydream, reminiscent of Jean Cocteau’s *Orpheus*, another masterpiece centered on a poet navigating a contemporary yet surreal world. While not as fantastical as the *Lord of the Rings* trilogy, *Paterson* offers a unique exploration of everyday life through a lyrical lens.
The film’s protagonist, portrayed with remarkable detail and authenticity by Adam Driver, is a bus driver named Paterson who navigates his daily routine in the city of Paterson. Once a thriving industrial hub known for its silk and textile production, the city had fallen into decline by the late 1970s when this reviewer first arrived. Though Paterson has seen intermittent attempts at revival, its modern renown lies in its connection to William Carlos Williams, a poet who lived nearby in Rutherford and immortalized the city in his epic modernist poem. In the preface to his work, Williams writes, “and so to man/to Paterson,” hinting at a pantheistic ambition that echoes throughout Jarmusch’s film. *Paterson* is a contemplative ode to the beauty of the ordinary, blending the mundane with the profound.
Cast director: Jim Jarmusch
Cast actor: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Henley, Method Man, Chasten Harmon, William Jackson Harper, Masatoshi Nagase, Nellie, Rizwan Manji, Dominic Liriano
Original name: Paterson