PATERSON film screening
This idiosyncratic drama romance comedy, about a Paterson, N.J., bus driver who is secretly a poet and his wife, who dreams of being a country music star, is “a charmer,” says NPR critic Mark Jenkins.
“A work of spiritual ecstasy,” Ty Burr writes in The Boston Globe.
“A small miracle of a film, one that is both intellectually dazzling and emotionally provocative,” David Wiegand writes in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Adam Driver plays the bus driver, whose name also happens to be Paterson. Golshifteh Farahani plays his eccentric wife, Laura, who also dreams of opening a cupcake business.
Every day, Paterson the man follows much the same pattern: He gets up early to drive his daily route, where he listens to passengers talking. During pauses, he writes poetry in a notebook he carries with him.
After work, he returns home, takes his wife’s English bulldog, Marvin, out for a walk and makes a stop at the same bar for exactly one beer.
By contrast, Laura’s world is ever-changing, with new dreams coming to her almost daily. She supports Paterson in his poetry, reading his work and encouraging him to share it with the world, and he supports her ambitions.
The film quietly observes their triumphs and defeats of daily life.
“I’ve never seen a film that captures the inner world of an artist with such delicacy,” David Edelstein writes in New York magazine.
“With each step, the film gains depth,” Bilge Ebiri writes in The Village Voice. “Small variations in routine start to feel monumental, and the briefest encounter can seem like a sign of something great.”
United Press International critic Fred Topel jokingly writes, “‘Paterson’ may be the bus driving poet movie of the year.”
The 2016 film, written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, earned 10 critic and festival awards, including a “Palm Dog Award” at the Cannes Film Festival for best performance by a canine, Marvin the bulldog.
The movie runs for 1 hour 58 minutes and is rated R. Its trailer can be found at tinyurl.com/Paterson-MoviesWSpirit.
The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Refreshments will be served.
Attendees over age 12 are asked to contribute $10 a person.
Movies With Spirit screenings comply with all federal, state and local health and safety protocols, including those of the screening venues.
The monthly Movies With Spirit series, organized by Gerry Harrington of Kingston, seeks to stimulate people’s sense of joy and wonder, inspire love and compassion, evoke a deepened understanding of people’s integral connection with others and with life itself, and support individual cultures, faith paths and beliefs while simultaneously transcending them.
The films are screened in diverse places of worship and reverence across Ulster and Dutchess counties at 7 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month. Movies With Spirit has no religious affiliation.
