Paterson (Adam Driver) is a New Jersey bus driver who carries a lunchpail to work, has a beer at the end of the day—and writes poetry. For writer/director Jim Jarmusch, there’s no incongruity in the addition of that last fact, which is key to the movie’s low-key gloriousness. It’s structured in a manner designed to emphasize the sameness of Paterson’s days, yet that structure also draws attention to unique details Paterson notices, and turns into art. Driver conveys that watchfulness in a performance that’s introspective, but far from deadpan. He also sells the delightful love story with his wife Laura (Golshifteh Farahani), a portrait of how art blossoms best in the presence of people who support it. For Jarmusch, the work of artistic creation deserves as much respect as the blue-collar work of driving a bus.
By
Scott Renshaw