Paterson

How many movies do you know don’t revolve around the redemption of the main character? Paterson is one of the rarest films which are purely medicinal in its observations. The main character here is more acknowledged than redeemed except for one line that is brought back to him in the end about the value of his words but it’s more a fine tuning or a warning than a redemption. In the end he learns to stay true to himself without needing to be a self-involved, isolated hermit focusing on the power or energy of goodness. He is the embodiment of Zen as his meditation is in observing nature and he embraces humanity as it appears in everyday life, and he is ready for action ironically with few words even when confronting danger. Jim Jarmusch is an American treasure. His touch as an auteur is always deep, soft, and meaningful with moments of intensity that expose the values of the human condition. He finds the magic of intimacy churning out timesless works of art. In Paterson he out did himself creating a class work of spiritual realism. Adam Driver plays a bus driver named Paterson in the ghetto of Paterson, although Jarmusch offers only hints of poverty and potential violence. At one point Paterson in Paterson jokes about giving up his dog to a car full of menacing delinquents. The former marine in life and in the film, with his stoic bravery embraces a faith rooted in positive assumption, as if manifesting a reality of honor among thieves. Don’t get dog jacked he tells the bulldog tied outside a bar alone for anyone to nab. Is the dog safe in Paterson New Jersey? For Paterson perhaps the dog is safe even if he is stolen because he is apart of nature but Jarmusch as if the voice of God then challenges Paterson. Is a beautiful child left alone outside while waiting for her mother nearby safe? The child like Paterson sits and writes poetry with the same energy he feels. Like a clueless boy wandering outside his broken down bus, they are comforted by Paterson as his circle of peace protects them. What is your circle of peace and understanding? Can you begin to appreciate the beauty of grace in its simplest forms? Can you embrace the frequency of divinity? Even in the face of extreme danger Driver stares shockingly aware in a masterclass of subtle introspection, yet we know and feel what the character is going through without words. His wife played delightfully by Golshifteh Farahani conveys constant kindness and joy even when reprimanding the bulldog. A chess playing bartender Paterson frequents, played by Barry Shabaka Henley adds tremendous weight as his character much like Driver’s holds onto a ‘Zen of character’ playing off Driver's understated intensity. Such few words, often repeated, forces viewers to appreciate poetry and how God or if you'd like how the universe or divine energy, communicates in a poetic nature. This film is a conversation between angels and a Zen Buddhist bus driver. It teaches and inspires the viewer to not only appreciate poetry but grace and peace in an attainable place mistakenly reserved for hermits and the rich who can afford to create peaceful spaces and timeless contentment. The pace of Paterson feeds us with the suspense of this peace in the unknown, with fleeting glimpses of danger and inaction as complacency. Some of the most meaningful diaglouge spoken by extras or left unexamined exposes a frequency tied to nature; like crows cawing when an acquaintance confesses his rebirth from the death of his heart. Ego is absent in Paterson, and we are all better for it if you pay attention to what nature and the soul reveals in the frequency of simplicity without the chatter or "leashes" of modern society constantly harping for your attention. Read some poetry, get your cues from faces, and find your identity in the amount of space you hold dear away from your smart phones and vanity.

What can I say about this movie? Jim Jarmusch created a masterpiece. Honestly I was shocked about how good it was. One quote describes this movie so well. Beauty lies in simplicity.