Review of Stranger than Paradise

Does Jarmusch aspire to be the American Jean-luc Godard? I think he tends to imitate Godard especially with this film. Again, as is typical of not only Jarmusch films but also Art films in general this film has little action, little dialogue, but, it does have a superb ending. As I was watching the film I kept thinking to myself how much this film tries to be like Godard's Breathless. There other homages to Godard throughout the film. The scene where they are in the movie theatre is an homage to Godard's movie theatre scene in Masculine Feminine. The scenes of driving to Ohio and Florida are reminscient of the road scemes from Breathless. The style of the two films are similar, and upon further reflection Jarmusch resembles Godard in some ways. Jarmusch is more understated and minimaist.

One thing that jumped out at me while watching Stranger Than Paradise, besides the similarity to Godard, was Jarmusch's lack of use of close-ups. There aren't any in the whole film. Perhaps this is to adhere to some unglamorous look of the film. The sets, the drab, small, apartments and house are also unglamoruos. As I was watching the film I thought to myself that the Italian neo-realists would be proud of Jarmusch for his emphasis on real settings, real people, and the utter aimlessness and apparent pointlessness of the people in Stranger than Paradise.

Like Down by Law it has a "Noirish" style. The characters are struggling to survive. They have little money, they are itinerant, they have nefarious schemes. They wonder around and come into money by chance and theft. I like this film better than Down by Law, but both are similar. Both are shot in black and white, both are films that can be reduced to some basic human need. Both are not formulaic films, you don't know where they are going or how they will conclude.

It takes some effort to appreciate Jarmusch, but when you put forth the effort the return can yield some positive results I think Jarmusch incites ideas about how we live, how people survive, how people make it through life. I think his films revolve around the basic human condition, at least in Down by Law and Stranger than Paradise.