Paterson review: Adam Driver is quite something in Jim Jarmusch’s first film of two to debut at Cannes 2016.
Read our Paterson review from the Cannes Film Festival, 2016 below.
Paterson review
Writer/ director Jim Jarmusch delights with the first of a double-header at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (He’ll deliver his Iggy Pop/ Stooges doc Gimme Danger later this week) with the impressive Paterson, a dramatic comedy led by Adam Driver.
Driver plays the title character of Paterson, which is also the setting for the film in southern New Jersey. Paterson is a blue-collar bus driver in a city in which he was born, bred, though hopefully not dead. He spends every waking hour thinking about his love of poetry, and has a set routine of sitting down and putting pen to paper om each day of the week. Paterson lives with his doting girlfriend Laura (Golshifteh Farahani) and their British bulldog Marvin, a dog as much a needed character in this as anyone else, and one that nearly steals the entire movie. The film studies, quite brilliantly, the daily grind and repetitiveness of the everyday man (and woman), the paths we choose and how life can get in the way – and throw us the occasional curve ball.
Paterson review
Paterson was the first film at this year’s Cannes Festival that really had a buzz around it, and I don’t think the lines of press waiting to see it would have got into the huge Palais des Festival, let alone the Debussy where we caught it, which is half the size. I haven’t seen a film where the audience was so completely involved in as this one, a true marvel to witness – and I was right there, into as much as every single one of them.
Featuring a stunning, though very muted performance by the skilled Driver, who has more than a good chance at nailing Best Actor here, Paterson is nigh on perfect. Wonderfully written, constructed and directed by the highly regarded Jim Jarmusch, this film is simply sublime and one to completely melt into. Every single character is written and performed to perfection – even the dog, who, as I previously said, is as necessary as anyone or anything else in the picture. Its pacing is spot-on, owing to its great editing, the cinematography by frequent Jarmusch collaborator Frederick Elmes very simple, though quite something, and the score so very beautiful.
Paterson review
Every other film at Cannes 2016 has their work cut out to beat this. It’s just so, so wonderful in every single way. Catch it as soon as you possibly can.
Paterson review by Paul Heath at the Cannes Film Festival, May 2016.
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