Paterson

100 This is just perfection. There are so many symbols and hidden meanings in this movie in this movie, I don’t even know where to start. I’m not even close to understanding it all, I’m barely scratching the surface, and it now calls for rewatch after rewatch and I’m ready for it. The thing I love about this movie is how nothing especially crazy or wild ever really happens, and that’s the point. It’s captivating in how it shows monotony, and the ups and downs of normal everyday life. A lot of times when a movie is about a routine, then it is shown as a bad thing that is boring. In this movie, it shows that it can be good to do the same thing everyday. It shows that when you do the same thing everyday, you start to notice the minor differences in the smallest things. Like how Paterson listens to the stories he hears on the bus, or the guy rapping in the laundromat. A minor thing such as waiting for a kid’s mom to show up is a huge part, and I think that says a lot about normal people. At the end of the day, you don’t remember that you went to the bar and had a beer. You remember that you saw an old friend and his twin. Speaking of, the repeating twin thing is fantastic! I’m not 100% sure what it means, but I’m okay with that. I think it works together as a whole with the exploding ball of fire, and the mailbox, and the poets, and the black and white, and seeing the same reoccurring people. I think it together shows how even in the minor details that you find so interesting when your life is monotonous, there is monotony within them. Adam Driver is so special and underrated in this movie. He shows through little smirks, or loud laughs that normal is fine, and that the little things matter. I think that even though the message of the movie is surface level (at least that message, I know there is definitely more motifs deeper down), it is still an important one. I have so much to say about this film and I just don’t know how to get it out. It was shot really well, and consistently. The tone was kept throughout. The relationship of Paterson and Laura is really beautiful. To me, it is the epitome of opposites attract. They don’t seem like they would work, but they compliment each other so well because they understand each other as Paterson said. Paterson doesn’t mind Laura’s wild and crazy fashion sense or decoration because he doesn’t really have an opinion on it. He is fine with the normality of his job and lunch and night because Laura is the part of his life that is not normal. He can come home everyday not knowing what is going to be waiting for him, and he loves that because it adds something to his life. It makes him okay with everything else. Another thing that makes him fine with everything else is his poetry. It is an outlet where he can express his feelings and thoughts because he doesn’t know how to do that physically. His poetry is how he connects with the world around him. The little girl he meets and the man he meets, who both like poetry, are important to him because he can find interest in other people, and those people have his interest too. Paterson represents everybody in the world with passion, desire, and drive. This is through the title character, and especially Laura. It is a beautiful film that evokes so many emotions, and means so much to me already. I can tell this is going to be a favorite of mine for years to come.