Paterson

Even the simplest things can inspire

Art can move you in different ways. It can made in different ways. Art can inspire and make you think, it can come from a place that you would not think it could. Or maybe it can relax you. The Jim Jarmusch movie Paterson inspires and relaxes me. It’s a simple but beautiful story that has this sort of meditative quality to it, that when you sit down to watch it you can let out a big exhale and just enjoy the show. It’s not a movie with a crazy plot, it does not have twists and turns, it’s at times kind of boring but the beauty in its simplicity makes it underrated.

For the movie’s main character Paterson his art comes from an unlikely place. Paterson is a movie about a man named Paterson who lives in Paterson, NJ and drives a NJ transit bus for a living. This movie stars Adam Driver and follows his character Paterson through a week in his life. His life is very routine, he wakes up at the same time, he walks to work at the bus depot, comes home to his wife Laura, walks his dog Marvin..who he has a rivalry with.. then has a beer at his local bar. His routine and life in the movie may seem dull but Paterson has a quiet ambition to him, he also writes poetry. Paterson writes poetry in the morning, on his bus before his shift, at lunch while he sits at the Passaic falls and even on his day off at his tiny basement desk surrounded by books, tools and other assorted objects. Paterson drives his bus each day he learns about life and takes in the city and all that is around him. He gets to hear different conversations and interact with different classes and kinds of people along his route as well as with the wise Doc at the bar while he drinks his beer or his co-worker Donny who is always telling Paterson about his chaotic life and family struggles. Paterson’s poetry is inspired by these interactions. Like most artists he takes in the world around him. His art is his everyday life.

Poetry is predominantly featured in this movie. It is more a love letter to the art form than it is about Paterson and his life. The poems Paterson writes in the film are actual poems written for the movie by the poet Ron Padgett. Along with the great visual shots of Paterson, NJ the poems are shown on the screen throughout the movie. They act like Paterson’s narration of his day and they are also ideas of new poems he thinks about while driving his bus. This movie is an ode to the book Paterson, which was an epic poem written by the poet William Carlos Williams and published 1946. William Carlos Williams was a doctor who lived in Paterson and used the city and the river from the Passaic falls to inspire his poems and to bring all four of the books of the epic together.

The movie also shows the relationship Paterson has with his wife Laura. Laura is a conduit of vibrant energy and style for both of their lives. She is the opposite to Paterson’s quiet reserved nature. She has big dreams and is always exploring the next opportunity. She has dreams of starting a cupcake business and getting rich or becoming the next big country star in Nashville after she purchases her brand new harlequin guitar with the instructional DVDs. She even motivates Paterson to print copies of his “secret notebook” of poems so the world can see them. Even though he doesn’t really want to and he may never will. She is very proud of Paterson the love they have for each other and the way they balance each other out in the film is lovely to watch. Every time I watch this movie the scenes with Paterson and Laura always make me smile. They hit close to home because my wife is a lot like Laura. She always has something cooking in her brain, always scheming, her energy toward making our family better is so amazing. Whenever she has a new thought or idea I just smile and go with it just like Paterson does in the movie. Her light, like Laura’s, is hard to block. Sometimes you just need to put on sunglasses.

Paterson let’s the idea that you can be inspired by what is around you and how even the simplest routine can be mentally freeing flourish. I think that is important for people to see artist or not. There are themes of mindfulness and presence in this movie that make it so tranquil and calming to watch. I already watched it twice this week. Once because I was writing this post and the second time just because I wanted to. Paterson is a movie that you might not hear about a lot, it’s not a movie with a huge budget but it is a movie about peace, about love, imagination, art and about being present in your daily life.

I hope you think about watching it one day and I hope you can enjoy it just as much as me.

You can stream Paterson on Amazon Prime.