Twins
I loved this movie, it was amazing and extraordinary, but what was the whole twin thing that appears like 10 times in the movie? That was the one thing I didn't understand.
shareI loved this movie, it was amazing and extraordinary, but what was the whole twin thing that appears like 10 times in the movie? That was the one thing I didn't understand.
shareLaura says one morning that she has had a dream that they had twins, and from that moment on, Paterson is always noticing twins all over town. The question of children is left open, part of the couple’s untroubled faith in the future.
shareFor me the twins represent the possibilities of a different life. It's hinted at the end with the dissolve that Paterson needs to dump his freeloading gf and his job and make a go at being a struggling artist. My feeling is that this has been a widely misinterpreted film.
shareThat doesn't really sound plausible
shareIf you look back at Jarmusch's work, twins are actually are recurring element in his movies, but in the case of Paterson, I read them to be representative of copies. It all starts with Laura's dream about having twins in the beginning, but I think it's really all tied to her urging Paterson to make copies of his work and share his poetry with the world.
To continue that thought, on a certain level, I think you are supposed to be irritated by Laura for a good chunk of the movie, as she does have some highlighted annoying qualities. She's flighty (constantly moving from one dream job to the next), and she seems lazy and moneygrubbing (staying home while Paterson is at work, and getting him to buy her a special guitar). However, the movie also totally redeems her for doing exactly what Paterson isn't doing: expressing her inner artistry and passion. She picks up the guitar and in one day is playing better than most. She bakes her special cupcakes, and they wind up being a hit. While Paterson stifles himself, she expresses herself and wins.
So how does this tie back to twins? My read is that they are there to represent the universe's message to Paterson, telling him that he should listen to Laura and make copies of his secret poetry book. When he doesn't do as he promises on Saturday, he gets punished in the form of Marvin shredding his work and destroying it.
So, yeah. Twins are copies.
Interesting interpretation, thanks eeisenberg19!
shareThanks, this definetely makes sense
shareI think you are supposed to be irritated by Laura for a good chunk of the movie, as she does have some highlighted annoying qualities. She's flighty (constantly moving from one dream job to the next), and she seems lazy and moneygrubbing (staying home while Paterson is at work, and getting him to buy her a special guitar). However, the movie also totally redeems her for doing exactly what Paterson isn't doing: expressing her inner artistry and passion. She picks up the guitar and in one day is playing better than most. She bakes her special cupcakes, and they wind up being a hit. While Paterson stifles himself, she expresses herself and wins.
It could be much simpler. Paterson is war veteran and hero - we have seen twice his photo in uniform with medals. Twins could be reference to 9/11, the fall of World Trade Center "Twins", which brought Paterson in war. Also Laura, played by actress born in Iran, could be brought to USA from war zone.
Paterson`s resignation could be caused by his war experiences - he has served his country well, now he has nothing to do.
well put. made me rethink the character of laura as well
share1. The first line of the film is Laura musing about having twins, so this seeps out into the "real" world as we see it through Paterson's subjectivity. And it becomes clearer and clearer throughout the film that Paterson the city is largely a manifestation of Paterson's mind.
2. The movie is largely about a kind of balance, about cosmic and psychical equilibrium, and so the idea of two of the same thing kind of works toward visualizing this. Balance is also represented in all the black-and-white designs that Laura produces, which additionally evoke notions of yin-yang.