Movie Notes: The Poetry of Paterson

A friend of mine recommended the film, Paterson a while back. I noticed that it was available on DVD at one of the public library branches, so I checked it out last week. I found it to be an enjoyable film with a thoughtful pace. It does not delve deeply into the art or the impact of poetry but does create a sense of liminal space which is for me the kind of quiet space where creativity can take place.

Paterson, by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, portrays a week in the life of a bus driver named Paterson, who lives in the town of Paterson, NJ. He is a quiet fellow who goes about his day writing poetry about the things he sees, hears, and feels. He has no thought of sharing his poetry, though his wife tries to encourage him to make copies that he can show to others.

A Town for Poets

The fact that Paterson is also the hometown of the poet William Carlos Williams serves to further underscore the role of poetry in this ordinary town. Williams, in fact, was a physician who wrote his poetry during the course of the day and wrote about everyday life, just as our bus driver protagonist does in the film.

Ron Padgett wrote the poetry for the movie. His poems are placed on the screen as Paterson writes them. All in all, Paterson is a film that quietly celebrates the role of poetry and art for ordinary people in ordinary times. English film critic, Mark Kermode, describes the movie as essentially a tone poem, which I think if a very apt description.

Subtle Symbolism

One thing I found interesting was the recurrence of twins in the movie, and I wondered what the filmmaker intended by that. There were three sets of twins making cameo appearances, as it were. One the sets of twins included a young schoolgirl who was herself a poet. Could it be that the twin idea is pointing to a creative counterpart within each of us?

There is symbolism to be found here in terms of doorways to the arts. For example, we see the marriage of poetry and visual art, illustrated by the fact that Paterson’s wife is an artist who spends her day designing and painting her own dresses, drapes, shower curtains, and living décor. Her art then leads her to move into music as she becomes driven to learn to play the guitar. Her character also added a more light-hearted whimsical touch of comic relief.  

One last aside, and speaking of twins, I couldn’t help noticing that the bartender, Doc, who Paterson talks to every night, bears a strong resemblance to his dog, Marvin. 

If you are in the mood for a quiet film that celebrates poetry and the wonders of ordinary life, check out Paterson. It is well written and well crafted with excellent acting and character portrayal. The acting is understated, which takes talent to pull off, and it lends to the poetic pace of the film. You will be inspired and may want to find a quiet corner, a cup of coffee, and a book of poetry so engaging that your coffee gets cold.

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Here are some added attractions:

Ron Padgett’ s poem, “How to be perfect,” can be found online at Poetry Foundation. 

PBS NewsHour offered a segment which includes a brief interview with the filmmaker, Jim Jarmusch along with poet Ron Padgett. You can see that here. 

A brief talk by Ron Padgett can be seen on YouTube in which he talks about his own poetic inspirations and influences. To view that, go here.

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