There’s no one really out there like filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, who evokes the laconic, the sublime and the absurd, sometimes all within one scene. Moving at his own pace and tackling often uncommercial projects, Jarmusch’s latest, his follow-up to the romantic, but not-self-serious vampire movie, “Only Lovers Left Alive,” is an unassuming story. Titled “Paterson,” the movie centers on a bus driver living in the titular city of New Jersey whose real life ambition is to write poetry. It stars “Girls” actor Adam Driver, who has exploded in Hollywood, bagging roles in “Star Wars” — a franchise Jarmusch hasn’t seen at all — and becoming a bankable enough star for filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Noah Baumbach and most recently Terry Gilliam.
It’s an exquisitely relaxed film, deadpan and even dispassionate (here’s our Cannes review), but never boring and always engrossing despite its small-town feel and minor stakes. We and several journalists in Cannes sat down today with Mr. Jarmusch eagerly awaiting any of the dry bon mots of candid wisdom and quiet humor he often delivers. Here are some of the highlights.
READ MORE: Watch 3 Clips From Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Paterson’ Starring Adam Driver
Financing And The Downside Of Amazon
On the business side of moviemaking: “I had to shoot some of [‘Only Lovers Left Alive’] on a soundstage, which is like trying to domesticate a wolf,” Jarmusch said. “I like to be out in the world, in a real place. I’m still not excited about the world of financing your films.
“Amazon are very gracious, but it’s a big corporate thing so honestly if Paterson makes a $1 billion dollars they’ll maybe give me five. In the old days I had money from Japan, France and Germany and we make it in America, and we split it,” he explained. “Now it’s like, ‘Well, if it makes a million dollars, you’ll get three. If it makes $5 million dollars, you’ll get $12.’ It’s like OK, yeah, whatever, I just want to make the fucking thing.”
The Upside Of Amazon Studios
“I think Amazon is fantastic, what they did for me,” Jarmusch reiterated about the company putting out his film. “They are very careful about the theatrical. They are not erasing the theatrical life of the film, and Amazon never once wanted to interfere in my casting, in anything, and for the amount of money they put in — also [production company] K5 who were great — they never said, ‘Well, we’d like to talk to you about your casting choice’ or ‘We want to see the rough cuts so we can give you comments.’ So, yeah, don’t get me wrong; these people have been really gracious. This is the way the world is now. It’s not them who are evil, oppressing me. This is just the way it is, you know? So I’m very lucky to have Amazon and K5 and Le Pacte in France. They’re not my enemy; they’re really facilitating me to work. But it is really a different landscape.”
Working With Adam Driver
“I saw him in ‘Frances Ha,’ in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ and some partial episodes of ‘Girls.’ But I read an interview and I thought, I wanna meet this guy. I love his face, his way of moving. I like that he takes his time. He doesn’t seem to be acting; he’s always sort of reacting and that’s my kind of actor: reacting actors. And then I met him and he was so cool and interesting and quiet, so I was just thrilled that he would be in the film. And this was before we knew he was gonna be in ‘Star Wars.’ “
Not Needing To See ‘Star Wars’ Movies Ever
“No, I have never seen any ‘Star Wars’ films, and the reason why is because I already know everything about ‘Star Wars.’ I know the plot, I know the characters, why do I need to see them? Because they’ve been forced on me! Force, force, force! So I don’t wanna see your films,” Jarmusch said to laughter from the press. “I already have to have dreams about R2D2 and I don’t even watch your movies, so I don’t want it, you know? So I’m blocking out of my mind, but I can’t! It’s still there. I can’t get away from ‘Star Wars’… Adam Driver is in my film! It’s like they’re torturing me; I think it’s the NSA, it’s a plan.”
Cannes, Festivals & Prizes
“Prizes are very nice for the film because they help a smaller film, but prizes don’t mean anything to me,” Jarmusch admitted. “Coming to Cannes, I’m very proud to have a film in Competition, but not because it’s in competition; I don’t believe in competition. But I’ve been so honored to have my film shown in that way because it’s allowed me to stay independent, it’s allowed me to remain in complete artistic control of my films. When a place like Locarno celebrates your film, or Venice or Cannes, it’s so valuable to me ’cause then I don’t have some corporate guy on my back. I’m not gonna make films that way. So [prizes] are important in that way instead of ‘my film’s better than your film!’ I mean, what a ridiculous… It’s like going to the Louvre and saying, ‘We’re gonna pick the best painting and then we’ll pick the most artistic painting.’ Like, what the hell! All of that is subjective. All of us, we’ll have a different opinion, and that’s the beauty of all human expression.”
There’s no release date for “Paterson” yet, but presumably Amazon Studios will set a 2016 date for it after Cannes, with their fingers crossed it scores one of the festival prizes.
Check out the rest of our coverage from the 2016 Cannes Film Festival by clicking here.