Paterson Movie Review (CIFF 2016)

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

CIFF 2016 - Paterson

So over the weekend I saw a few more CIFF films, and one of them was the latest film from Jim Jarmusch, Paterson.  Jarmusch is not only in my opinion one of the most deeply underrated directors working today, he's also one of the most talented ones, with films like Ghost Dog, Broken Flowers, Night on Earth, and Only Lovers Left Alive on his belt. And Paterson was a movie I was really looking forward to, and I have to say I'm really glad I saw it.

Paterson, to sum it up, follows the week in the life of a New Jersey bus driver and poet, and the humorous or fascinating things that happen in his day to day life. And in that, this is one of the more minimalist movies I've seen all year, not even having much of anything resembling a plot. So really the film is mostly just Adam Driver going through the motion, and despite never really having any moments where he'd need to deliver something emotionally compelling or unique, I thought he did a good job.

However, Paterson is a unique kind of movie, as the fascinating aspects of it aren't in it's protagonist, this film front and centre is about the small details, details that would normally go unnoticed to most. In that, the largest focus of this movie are the people Paterson encounters in his day to day life, and the stories of total he encounters for small amounts of time on a daily basis. What makes Paterson unique is that each of these moments only happen once, there's no reincorporation (save for one sub-plot), and there's no real forced sentimentality to it. And what makes this script great is how well it captures these stories, in small isolated moments in time where in an instant the viewer is captivated by this conversation between two people. We don't get context to the conversation, and usually the scene ends before the conversation does, yet the audience is still caught up in the moment. The fact that Jarmusch managed to accomplish that multiple times throughout the film is nothing short of an astonishing feat.

Another thing that makes Paterson a truly standout experience is the way its filmed, the way its edited, and the way it sounds. Jarmusch has captured this film with what I can only describe as patient elegance, the kind of gracefulness you only get every once in a while. And while to some, the unconventional style Jarmusch uses to tell this story could be boring, annoying even to some, to me it was basically all it needed to be.

Final Rating
Paterson is easily my favorite film of CIFF 2016, Jim Jarmusch has once again captured a graceful story with an utterly real sense of humanity, a film that both celebrates the day-to-day occurrences of daily life and celebrates people in general. It's the kind of movie that makes you want to slow down and take in the world around you. The film can be slow, and I'll admit it can be boring at first, but if you have the patience to get used to its unconventional style, I promise you'll be glad you saw it.

(Side note: Do not, under ANY circumstances watch the trailer.)