Jim Jarmusch is known for his dark, laconic style of cinematography with the main focus on the drifters and outcasts in society. Jarmusch’s auteurship includes camera work with a focus on long shots and lighting/colour, specifically chiaroscuro to capture the characters and message. The use of diegetic sound, dialogue, and music to build tension and expectation is followed throughout his filmography. I have chosen the drama comedy Coffee and Cigarettes, 2003, and the indie drama Permanent Vacation, 1980. Each excerpt from these films portrays all of the described characteristics of Jarmusch’s film style that gives his viewers a deeper perspective of his modern ideas.
The 2003 film “Coffee and Cigarettes” entails eleven vignettes of conversation
…show more content…
Both “Permanent Vacation” and “Coffee and Cigarettes” highlight this theme as Jarmusch utilises desolate or abandoned environments as the focal setting. In “Permanent Vacation,” Allie’s apartment is a barely furnished, dilapidated abode that is viewed with a long-shot camera shot. Jarmusch’s utilisation of the long shot enables the audience to see the characters and the immediate environment they are inhibiting. It also allows us to see the character's body language and interactions to conclude the characters. In the excerpt, the audience can identify that Allie’s manner and attitude are different from the female lead’s attitude. Placing them in the rundown bedroom shows how isolated they are even though they are with each other. This is shown in “Only Lovers Left Alive,” and other films alike where Jarmusch places the characters in rundown and isolated cities such as Detroit with the character focus of isolation. The century-old vampire couple, Adam and Eve choose solitude in this city as they navigate modern society. Much like Adam and Eve, Allie navigates his way in life through isolation where Jarmusch reflects this in Allie’s bedroom set design. Jarmusch’s use of dialogue illustrates Allie wandering and being an outcast; “I have my dreams while I’m awake.” This emphasises the idea of isolation and urban alienation where one can be lonely in a city full of people. In “Coffee and Cigarettes,” the diner is empty with only the male and female lead in the frame. The isolation highlights the feeling of loneliness. However, in this scene, the customer seems comfortable in her aloneness as she flicks through her magazine about guns and drinks her sweetened coffee. Jarmusch’s use of this idea of isolation brings two unlikely characters to exchange conversation over coffee and cigarettes. The comfort of the customer contrasts with the socially unaware waiter that