You might recognize Paterson’s lead guy, Adam Driver, from a little known indie known as Star Wars (can’t blame you if you don’t know, it’s very niche). In the new SW trilogy, he plays an angry, volatile, and, quite frankly, whiny antagonist who throws around a shiny sword every once and awhile. In Paterson, he’s almost unrecognizable as the soft-spoken bus driver who loves Emily Dickinson and has a disgruntled relationship with a bulldog.

I think I’ve watched this movie about a dozen times since it came out. It’s a film I consider to be a “love letter” film, or a film that is primarily a love letter to a specific place. A lot of films are like this: Ladybird (2017) could be considered a love letter to Sacramento, CA. Columbus (2017) is an obvious love letter to Columbus, Indiana. An extraordinary amount of movies are love letters to classic places like New York City, L.A., or London. I personally appreciate a film that writes a love letter to an unconventional place, one that might not be “pretty” or “iconic,” is possibly affected by poverty or tragedy, or home to an unexpected amount of well-known figures. The filming process itself in these films should remain observant rather than exploitative or “voyeuristic” of that place.

Paterson is a love letter film to Paterson, New Jersey, a location that isn’t well known for being particularly pretty or drawing celebrity interest. However, for poets and writers alike, it should be known as a place where several writers lived a large part of their life such as Allen Ginsberg and William Carlos Williams. The film follows Paterson, named the same as the city, as he lives a quiet life with his partner, Laura (played by Iranian actress, Golshifteh Farahani) and their bulldog Marvin. He drives a bus and spends his free time writing short, free verse poems in his secret notebook. The film has no antagonist and no specific “plot;” the viewer simply becomes an observer of a week in the life of this small family and their interactions with the city of Paterson.

While Paterson is the “main character” of the film, the narrative is not focused on his story, or even his life. Paterson almost becomes the “city” itself, as we walk or drive through the streets with him, observing daily life and other people’s experiences. The poems spoken by him throughout the film (written by poet Ron Padgett) reflect on little moments and are not profound or even very “good” (in my opinion), but are simple, and fit the voice of the character perfectly. It’s really quite a beautiful film, and one that takes time to watch and appreciate fully.

Paterson (2016)

she said i dreamt of twins

and now he’s seeing double

down jersey streets blessed

Laura lying naked in bed

black and white intertwined

hands on a steering wheel

eyes peeled for a rhyme 

but only finding William’s

words imprinted on the water

of paterson falls the dog asleep

in the window of a pink house

dinner pie made of brussel sprouts

and cupcakes with frosting sweet

a bus stopped on the street a fire

ball in the air the water on a girl’s

hair slowly dripping into a mug

of beer the clink of glass on wood

some call it rain but i call it love