Albert_Orr

Paterson is a celebration of the small details in life. A poetic and charming love-story about a perfectly ordinary couple, living in a perfectly ordinary town.

The town in question is Paterson, New Jersey. Home of poet William Carlos Williams, comedian Lou Costello, and one of America's largest waterfalls. The man in question, in true Jarmusch style, is also named Paterson (played with pinpoint subtly by Adam Driver). Paterson is a hard-working bus driver who quietly goes about his duties, all the while allowing the scenery and eavesdropped conversation to inspire his main passion in life; writing poetry. Meanwhile, his girlfriend and the love of his life, played without fault by Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, is a stay-at-home creative. She spends her day baking imaginative cupcakes and making new curtains from scratch. The films narrative centres around a seven day week. Each day brings a new variation on the theme, and each moment a reflection on two people who wholeheartedly accept each other for who they are.

Paterson is a quiet and contemplative film that sits perfectly in Jarmusch's repertoire. It's a film about how people choose to live their life, regardless of the necessities to work and make money. Like poetry, the words and images flow with little dramatic tension or conflict. Jarmusch explained at Cannes that he intended Paterson to be an antidote to the modern action film, and if this is the case, I'll definitely be coming back for another dose.

Breaking a Monster is a fascinating rockumentary about 3 teenage boys caught in the absurdity of the music industry.

The film introduces us to Malcolm, Jarad and Alec - three 13 year-old African American musicians from Brooklyn who play heavy metal music on the streets of New York City. When one of their youtube videos goes viral, a music producer called Alan Sacks signs them onto a 5 album record deal with Sony Music. Without any recordings or music videos, the trio embark on a US tour whilst simultaneously being dragged from meeting to meeting with old, white, music executives.

Although the music in the film is incredible, and the boys themselves are super charismatic, the crux of the intrigue here is the relationship between Sacks and the 3 teenagers. His attempts to 'guide' them into fame are met with their teenage desire to question and misbehave. The boys interrogate Sacks on when they will see the money from their 'million-dollar' contract, and try and sneak into his fridge during recording sessions to drink more coca-cola.

Breaking a Monster is as funny as it is insightful, the 3 boys are intelligent, talented, and hilarious. They have so much personality, and are so unique in their own way, you can imagine they'd get famous regardless of the route. This film was real winner for me, and while the ending felt like a cliffhanger, it enticed me to go straight online and keep the story going.