Notes for Stranger Than Paradise

Film: Stranger Than Paradise

Year Of Release: 1984

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Notes from viewing number 1 (18.10.2021)

Rating: 9/10

- Jim Jarmusch is one of America's most loved directors and is considered independant cinema royalty. This is actually my first film by him. This was his breakout effort, so I thought that was a good place to start, and it was.

- The first thing you notice is Jarmusch' eye for cinematography. The black and white cinematography oozes cool. And the whole film is ridiculously cool too, something you know when Screamin' Jay Hawkins' classic "I Put A Spell On You" begins to play.

- The film is full of great dialogue with lots of charm and cool, and even some pretty great dead-pan humour. The dialogue and acting is a bit akward in places, but once you realize how hilarious the akward humour is in this film, you realize that was actually the point.

- This is a film about the joys of hanging out, but I do feel it is a bit cynical in how the characters find these joys. The joys here mostly come out from things like a pack of stolen cigarettes, some old cartoons on the TV, and winning money. And it does make for a fascinating character study, but saying "Isn't life joyful?" only to say "Isn't life devoid of joy?" feels a bit hypocritical for me.

- I think Stranger Than Paradise is an amazing film, and one that will maybe grow on me even more. I can see this getting a 10/10 one day.

Update (19.10.2021)

Rating: 10/10

- I have thought about it since yesterday, and I think I fully understand it. It isn't simply a film about hanging out, it's a critique of a world where finding the joys of life is almost impossible, while also being a film about those little joys. Jarmusch, you have won me over. Great work.