Paterson

꒰୨୧◞ ₊˚ “”Here is the most beautiful match in the world, so sober and furious and stubbornly ready to burst into flame, lighting, perhaps, the cigarette of the woman you love, for the first time, and was never really the same after that. All this will we give you.” That is what you gave me, I become the cigarette and you the match, or I the match and you the cigarette, blazing with kisses that smoulder toward heaven.” 𖦹 🌱 I’ve always struggled with routines. I don’t really know why — it’s not that I’m too tired or too distracted, it’s just that doing something quietly, regularly, with no immediate reward, has always felt… difficult. Sometimes it’s hard for me to understand the meaning of small things when the payoff is far down the line. They feel weightless when they should feel grounding. And still, this movie reminded me of the quiet beauty in that exact kind of repetition. I’m not trying to make this whole thing about me again (and I swear this is the last time I talk this much about my life 😞), but this film really means something to me. I don’t know how else to explain it. (If you’re just here for a straightforward review, I do have a more “normal” one here.) *` 🌊˒ ⟡ ﹒ “I knock off work, have a beer at the bar. I look down at the glass and feel glad.” ⊹ 🧁  ࿔ ۫ ۪ * I first watched Paterson back in January, during a really fragile time. I wasn’t going to school anymore — every little noise or laugh behind me felt like it was about me, and I couldn’t even raise my hand in class without spiraling. (That’s what covid and a severe anxiety disorder does to a mf) Then, when I FINALLY got better, I found out my friends were talking behind my back about it all — about how I was still allowed to finish the year and how unfair that was to the others, how I could apparently go to the movies but not show up to school. It hurt in that way that makes you question your entire sense of worth. (Just in case anyone’s wondering — they aren’t my friends anymore.)  *⌣ ⌛️﹒ “Well, somedays something inside just doesn't want to get up. Ever feel like that?” ⌢ 𝜚 ₊˚ ❛  🧸 ⊹˚․ “Today.”* That little bedroom in the film became my safe haven — the one my therapist told me to create for myself when she taught me ways to ground myself — pressing on the skin between my middle and index finger and picturing a place where nothing bad could reach me. This film felt like an extension of that safety. Even now, I put on scenes from it when I can’t sleep. Something about its stillness, its slowness, calms me in a way few things do. It makes me cry, sometimes without reason. And especially the ending always gets to me. It doesn’t try to fix everything or make some big dramatic point — it just gently reminds you that starting over is okay. That losing something doesn’t mean you’ve failed. You can begin again, quietly, slowly, and that’s enough. Adam Driver is quietly perfect in this role. There’s something so tender about the way he plays Paterson — not in a showy, dramatic way, but in the kind of softness that feels lived-in. You can tell he understands the character’s quiet devotion to the everyday. And Golshifteh Farahani, as Laura, brings this dreamy, spontaneous energy that balances Paterson’s stillness in the most delicate way. Their chemistry isn’t loud, but it feels true. ⌗ !! ꒰ “I wish you would have read me some of your most recent poems. Maybe I could have remembered them.” ꒱ ˚ ⁎ ໒* 🪰 “It's okay. They were just words. Written on water.”* And the poems — almost all of the them are real, written by Ron Padgett, one of Jim Jarmusch’s favourite poets. That means a lot to me. They’re not just movie-poems; they come from a real place. There’s this sense that everything in this film — every detail — was chosen with care. That love for writing, for language, for stillness…* it’s palpable in every scene. * Thank you so much if you read this far. Truly. 🫂 I’m heading to London on the 30th, so I might not be super active here for a bit. I don’t know how much of an Instagram person you are (I spend like… 7 minutes a day on there, unless the reel algorithm traps me) but if you want to see bits of the trip, here’s my Instagram 💌 It’s kind of an ‘I post when cool stuff happens’ account. P.S. — if you’ve never seen Paterson (and I desperately think you should), I can send you a Mubi link so you can watch it for free. I’ve never actually done it before so I don’t totally know how long it lasts, but just ask and I’ll send it your way  Love you all so much 🫶 ⊱ ۫ ׅ 🥠 favourite directors , fav films ࿐࿔  ⸝⸝﹒🥯 ৎ - maxxcore (fav films)