Paterson

Director Jim Jarmusch is at his most refined here, as he carefully chronicles the humble exploits of one of life's observers. A poet and bus driver, Paterson (a superb Adam Driver) is a man who blends into the background so much that he shares a name with his city of residence; a man whose dog walks him; and a husband who keeps respectfully schtum as his capricious wife (Golshifteh Farahani) fills their home with monochrome creations - from curtains to cupcakes to canine portraits. Jarmusch's best feature in years is a beautifully photographed, contemplative stroll through New Jersey's largest city, which eavesdrops on conversations and routine pleasures in a way that's soothing to the soul. We are privy to this seemingly ordinary man's remarkable interior life in the form of his verse (written for the film by Ron Padgett), bestowing us with an insight that his wife is denied. The gently ominous score is a snug fit for this solemn but kindly protagonist in a film that's intimately romantic and amusingly cynical, as it sows the seeds for tensions yet to come.