Watch This Adam Driver Movie When You’re In Need Of Artistic Inspiration

Contrary to popular opinion, artists don’t have to put themselves through hell for the sake of their creative efforts.

Art doesn’t require suffering – in fact, in most instances, it can provide an effective means of escape from our worldly pain and the hardships that surround us, paving the way to a momentary adventure into the deepest recesses of our imagination.

Offering us a landscape that we’re able to control and wade into whenever life gets difficult, art can fundamentally change how we view the world and confront the challenges that await us. In this sense, the artistic projects we hold near and dear don’t have to result in material wealth or personal gain. Instead, they can outfit us with a more nuanced understanding of ourselves and all those close to us, turning otherwise mundane moments into scenes of profound beauty, warmth, and creativity.

In this sense, pursuing an artistic hobby remains one of the most important things many of us rely on on a daily basis, whether it involves picking up a musical instrument, painting a picturesque mural, sketching a realistic drawing, or penning a dramatic short story. And while it’s no secret many of us might face setbacks and obstacles in our creative endeavors, it’s worth remembering just how meaningful these hobbies could be for our hearts, minds, and very souls within us.

A Movie About the Wondrous Possibilities of Art

In many ways, 2016’s Paterson reflects all of the inherent topics discussed above, from its celebration of the healing power of art to its straightforward, relatable narrative free from unnecessary drama or an over-sensationalized story.

The entirety of the film focuses on Adam Driver’s soft-spoken Paterson, an ordinary bus driver in Paterson, New Jersey who divides his days between work, spending time with his aspiring country singer wife (Golshifteh Farahani), and writing poems that he deliberately chooses not to publish or show anyone except his spouse.

Set over the course of one week, viewers follow Paterson as he embarks on a series of mundane misadventures in both his personal and professional life, encountering a fair number of eccentric passengers onboard his bus and sitting down for casual conversations with his bartender friend, Doc (Barry Shabaka Henley).

In essence, one might describe Paterson as the exact opposite of any mainstream film they can think of. There’s no violence, no conflict, no villain, no real story or plot to speak of. It’s simply a display of one man’s life, right down to the tiny minutiae each of us can readily relate to (walking a dog, overhearing funny stories on the bus, sharing a drink with friends and strangers at a bar, etc.).

But it’s for this reason that Paterson remains as emotionally evocative as it is. While other movies might incorporate some kind of dramatic twist, the closest Paterson ever comes to a legitimate crisis is seeing the family dog, Marvin, tearing up Paterson’s poetry notebook. 

As a result, some might find Paterson boring, plotless, perhaps altogether pointless. Yet it’s Paterson’s subtle albeit powerful story and characters that make this indie film worth watching, perfectly illustrating the way art can enrich our lives and catapult us into the world of our dreams.

Searching For Meaning in 2016’s Paterson

In spite of its otherwise mundane settings, Paterson shows us that the truly unique setting for the film exists in each characters’ minds. For evidence of this, viewers only need to look at the countless creative hobbies each character practices, from Paterson’s poetry to his wife’s country music, from the young girl who shares her poems with Paterson to the rapping stranger Paterson happens across at a laundromat.

As most audience members can plainly see, none of these characters are using their creative hobbies as a means to an end. They’re not necessarily looking upon their interests as a way to become a best-selling author, a globally renowned musician, or the next beatboxing legend. Instead, they’re merely a fun, light-hearted hobby that provides each person meaning, depth, and understanding of themselves, with every quiet moment they’re able to focus on their endeavors allowing them to be whisked away into their imagination. 

Paterson shows us that we don’t need to beat our hand into a wall trying to get the ideal poem onto the page, nor do we need to hurl our guitar, clarinet, or jazz saxophone across the room when we fail to perform a song in the specific pitch we’d like to hear.

Rather than torture ourselves seeking to create the ultimate work of art, all we need to do is take pleasure and solace in the act of making art itself. Because at the end of the day, even if no one reads our poems, listens to our music, or gazes at our sprawling landscape paintings, we’re still able to enjoy the process of creating something powerful – even if it’s only powerful to the artist themselves.

Watch Paterson on Prime Video.