a review of 天堂陌影

Stranger than Paradise is a typical early Jarmusch, raw and experimental. Like his Mystery Train, Stranger than Paradise shows early signs of his rhythmic, poetic cinematic style, but the plot is boring and feels pretentious. Come to think of it, Stranger than Paradise has more than one similarity with Two-Lane Blacktop (1971): two rebellious young guys, accompanied by an indifferent girl, traveling across the country in an old car, getting money by winning it. I'm sure Two-Lane Blacktop formed at least some inspiration for Stranger than Paradise, but I liked Two-Lane Blacktop more. I think Jarmusch matured when he made Night on Earth (1991). I also liked his Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (1999), and more recently Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) and Paterson (2016). And although Dead Man (1995) is slow and reasonably boring, it's also mesmerizing, in a fever-dream kind of way.