Sunday, October 16, 2016

London Film Festival: PATERSON


London Film Fest has been fantastic and I've had the pleasure of seeing so many great films.  This time around, I got the chance to see the latest film starring Adam Driver, PATERSON.

Paterson is the new Jim Jarmusch film starring Adam Driver, fresh off of his soon to be iconic role as Star Wars: The Force Awakens baddie Kylo Ren. I was charmed by Paterson. Quite a bit. Actually... A whole lot!

Paterson is a bus driver and poet from the city of Paterson, New Jersey. Every day follows much the same pattern. After work, he returns home, has dinner with his wife Laura and walks his dog to the bar for just the one beer. Laura urges him to make copies of his lovely observational verse, but he never seems to get around to it. Eventually a small disaster threatens to shatter their idyll.

Let me start off by talking about Adam Driver. I love Adam Driver. I love him on Girls, I love him in Star Wars, I love him here. His extraordinary performance as Poet/Bus driver Paterson, who happens to live in... Paterson, is my personal favourite performance by a dude this year. He conveys the loneliness, incredible intelligence, yet average qualities of Paterson so well. Brilliant!

Relative newcomer Golshifteh Farahani, who plays Paterson's wife, is charismatic and quirky! Her character, Laura, has many aspirations, one to be a country singer, and two, to be the "Cupcake Queen Of Paterson". Their relationship was a joy to watch over the timeframe of 7 days. Their relationship felt real, it was funny, it was sad. Wonderful.

Jim Jarmusch's direction is brilliant. He lets the film flow, not at a slow pace, but at a comfortable pace, if that makes any sense. At 113 minutes, the story of a Bus driver who likes poetry never feels boring or aimless, it feels homey, in a way. He adds another indie gem to his filmography. And the final scene is one of the most beautiful scenes in cinema this year.

The script is wonderful, written also by Jarmusch. He has written such brilliant characters, from Paterson to Laura, to the love sick Everett and the Bar owner/Chess champion Doc. Also, there are wonderful scenes where Paterson just listens to his passengers talk, to get inspiration for his poems. It's scenes like that, that really make me love Paterson all the more.

If I was to be negative, I could say the cinematography isn't anything to write home about... But that is the smallest nitpick I may have ever written. Also, there is an English bulldog who is adorable! And Nellie, the bulldog, gives a really good little performance!

Paterson is a love letter to Poetry, and is one of my favourite films of the year!

Sammy's Score: 9/10


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