Paterson

Every weekday Paterson wakes early, kisses girlfriend Laura, has breakfast, walks to work, and drives a number 23 bus through the streets of Paterson, New Jersey.  After work he walks home, eats dinner with Laura, takes Marvin the bulldog for a walk and has a beer in Doc's bar.  It sounds like a mundane, dull existence, except that it frees his mind for his great passion in life, writing poetry, taking his inspiration from the minutiae of life.

Each day has it's small differences too, not least those provided by Laura who likes to experiment.  Food, decor, clothes, career path are all full of possibilities to her imagination, even if the results don't always match expectations.  But she also wants his to share his poems with the world, while he's content to write for his own satisfaction.

Paterson's equilibrium is challenged by events, and his reactions can sometimes surprise, but throughout it all he displays an inner calm, even a hint of heroism.  Adam Driver is superb as the lead, a man at peace with his world, and Golshifteh Farahani's Laura is a high-energy visual and verbal rollercoaster, rushing from one high to the next.

There are some striking images, and several recurrent themes that add to the overall coherence of the movie, and the sense of beauty in the mundane.  It's a reminder that the key to contentment lies less in possessions and more in finding out what really makes you happy, and that life continues despite the bumps in the road.  Some might think the ending contrived, but it provided a strong illustration of the verbal magic that good poetry provides, and a reminder that it's magic of that kind that makes life worth living.

Paterson is that kind of magic.  Certainly the best film I've seen this year.