Paterson (2016): Poetic Experience

Brennan Morse

I recently watched the film Paterson for the first time and had a very enjoyable movie experience, but not in the way I would have imagined or traditionally enjoyed movies. Adam Driver, fresh off his Star Wars debut, brings his talents to a very contained film about a small-town bus driver who fills his quiet moments with the authorship of poetry. We get a glimpse of a week in the life of this character and how he views the normalcy of it all, and, to (without spoilers) give a summary of the runtime, nothing really happens (well, in the way we think of things “happening” in the movies we often watch). As the credits faded in, I was struck with the feeling that what I had just seen was beautiful and elegant, but I wasn’t sure why exactly or what part of the movie I could link to these emotions. This allowed me to ponder the subject of poetry as I laid down to rest for the night. It had always been an art form that escaped my true appreciation, which I have always acknowledged as my own fault and sort of brushed past it up until then. Words as an art form could rarely find real beauty in my perception without being put to song, spoken on screen, or written along with the larger context of a novel or story. That last part was the best example of how I began to appreciate what Paterson was saying to its audience. Our communication and our language are the only ways we can express our perception of reality throughout our years in this life. The soul is behind this fleshly door, and our language exposes what there is to see. The “true” poet provides a window to the heart using simple words and situations, such as a leaf on the sidewalk or a raindrop while reading in the park. These are things we all, as humans, can relate to, but it is the construction and the effort to “do” that makes this art form so special. Many read poems and say “I could do that” as a way to disparage the work, but I feel that reinforces its purpose for existing. Anyone can write any words that others will understand, but the artists amongst us can put those words in the order that touches some part of us we did not know was there. Poetry is the art of existing, observing, and reflecting. You cannot draw spectacle or distract the audience here, but you must turn to them and say “this is what I see, and I hope to show that to you and allow you to understand the way my heart moves in this moment”. Like any art, there are those that do not capture this authenticity and rather put out a lesser imitation. Readers can tell, and that brings it all back to the beauty of poetry. Human hearts know their own kind, and can tell when someone is offering themselves up before them. Language is beautiful and simple, and its elegance is only recognized when both author and reader are willing be there for it.