Meet the Makers: Jim Jarmusch

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[Jarmusch came to New York City from Akron, Ohio to study at Columbia and NYU’s film school. He would also study film at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris. He worked as an assistant on Lightning Over Water (1980), a film by Nicholas Ray and Wim Wenders, before making his first film, Permanent Vacation (1982), made for roughly $15,000. After much hustling, he found a German producer by the name of Otto Grokenberger, who stayed out of his way and provided him with complete artistic control. The result was the highly stimulating Stranger Than Paradise (1984), a film he structured around Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ song, “I Put A Spell On You”, and which would go on to win the Camera D’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.] — IMDB.com

Jim Jarmusch is significant force within the indie film world, having made several films that, while are little known on the mainstream market, have been acclaimed by both indie fans and critics alike. The style of Jarmusch is not uncommon among indie filmmakers, but is rarely achieved at the level that his films master the art of subtle, character-driven storytelling that rolls emotion and comedy awkwardly into one unique enigma of dry wit that often seems truly surreal beyond its low profile appearance.

Mystery Train (1989) is an eclectic film of three separate stories centered around a seedy little hotel in Memphis. Far From Yokohama, the first story, tells the tale of a young Japanese couple obsessed with 1950’s America trekking across America as they stop in Memphis. During their stay, they rent a room at the hotel, run by the night clerk, played by blues legend Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. The second story, A Ghost, centers on a young widow, escorting her dead husband’s coffin back home who must deal with a roommate at the hotel who doesn’t stop talking. Lost in Space, the third and final story, introduces us to Johnny, played by Joe Strummer, formerly of the band The Clash. Johnny, accompanied by his two buddies, played by Rick Aviles and Steve Buscemi, knock off a local liquor shop and nearly kill the clerk, leading them to hide out at the hotel. Each story plays out wonderfully, all centered on this hotel, but each remaining mostly separate from each other.

Dead Man (1995) is a western, but only in principle. Jarmusch directed Johnny Depp as William Blake, a young man from Cleveland who ventures out into the wild west to obtain a job as an accountant for a steel-man. Once he arrives, he is dumbfounded to learn he is a month late and the job has been filled. Down on his luck and with nothing to lose, he stumbles into a situation where must defend himself by killing another man. Wounded from the scuffle and out of his element, Blake escapes into the wilderness. Along the way, Blake meets a native American whose name means Nobody, and his journey quickly descends into an often strange and even metaphysical mind trip. Dead Man is a wonderful modern take on the western, filmed in black and white, laced with subtle surrealism and Jarmusch’s own style of humor and character interaction.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) stars Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a hit-man working for the Jersey City mafia. Eight years ago, Ghost Dog’s master saved his life, a man who happens to be part of the mob. Ghost dog lives simply and keeps mostly to himself, except for his homing pigeons who live with him on the roof, a Haitian ice cream man he occasionally converses with and a young boy with whom he discusses books. When the mob boss’ daughter witnesses one of Ghost Dog’s hits, the hit-man becomes the hit and he must kill the mob before they kill him. Accompanied by a great soundtrack, which is often the case with Jarmusch films, Ghost Dog is both entertaining as an action film and enlightening as a poignant human drama.

Broken Flowers (2005) is the latest film from Jarmusch, starring Bill Murray as Don Johnston, a perpetually single man who gets dumped by his latest girlfriend. Soon after, he receives an anonymous pink letter stating he may have a son who is looking for him. Getting older and reflecting on his life, Don sets out on a cross-country journey to revisit each of his past girlfriends in hopes to uncover clues to whom he may have a son with. Don visits a few of his past flings, arriving unannounced, seeking clues to the identity of his alleged son and answers to his new insecurities about why their relationships failed. Broken Flowers is a very funny and moving story of a man desperate to learn compassion late in life, masterfully portrayed by Bill Murray, whocontinues to prove he is a far more talented actor than he gets credit for.