Stranger than Paradise

by Jim Jarmusch

Stranger than Paradise

Synopsis

THE NEW WORLD: Bela Molnar («Willie»), originally Hungarian, has lived in New York for the past ten years. Eva Molnar, his sixteen-year-old cousin, is just arriving in the U.S. to begin a new life, and is forced to stay with Willie before travelling to Cleveland. During this period Willie's preconceptions of Eva slowly change, and it is only as she is leaving New York that Willie is able to see her in her true light: a «black sheep» of the family, similar to himself.

ONE YEAR LATER: Willie and his best friend, Eddie, are caught cheating in a poker game. On a whim, they decide to take their «winnings», borrow a car, and visit Eva who is now living with the stern and stubborn Aunt Lotte in the harsh mid-western winter. After several days, Willie and Eddie want to leave again.

PARADISE: Willie and Eddie decide to «kidnap» Eva and take her to Miami for a vacation in «Paradise». Once in Florida, the three stay in a run-down motel by the sea. From here on, things begin to fall apart: Willie and Eddie lose almost all their money at the dog races, Willie begins to treat Eva badly again, and everything seems to go wrong. Confusion builds as Eva considers returning to Europe, Willie and Eddie win their money back, and Willie attempts to get Eva off a plane departing for Budapest. Connections are missed, and in the end the three are accidentally separated from one another, and left to their own devices.

Director

FILMOGRAPHY:

2013 Only Lovers Left Alive
2009 The Limits of Control
2005 Broken Flowers
2003 Coffee and Cigarettes
1999 Ghost Dog
1997 Year of the Horse (Documentary)
1995 Coffee and Cigarettes III (Short)
1995 Dead Man
1991 Night on Earth
1989 Mystery Train
1989 Coffee and Cigarettes II (Short)
1988 Talking Heads: Storytelling Giant (Video)
1986 Coffee and Cigarettes (Short)
1986 Down by Law
1984 Stranger Than Paradise
1983 Stranger Than Paradise (Short)
1980 Permanent Vacation

 

Cast

John Lurie - Willie
Eszter Balint - Eva
Richard Edson - Eddie
Cecillia Stark - Aunt Lotte
Danny Rosen - Billy 

Crew

Written & directed by Jim Jarmusch
Executive production by Otto Grokenberger
Cinematography by Tom Dicillo
Production management by Sara Driver
Music by John Lurie
Edition by Jim Jarmusch, Melody London
Sound by Greg Curry, Drew Kunin
Produced by Grokenberger Film Produktion, Cinesthesia Produtions
Co-Produced by ZDF, Das Kleine Fernsehspiel, Christoph Holch
Music performed by The Paradise Quartet

Technical Data

Technical details: Black and white
Length: 90 min.
Original language: English

Stranger than Paradise
Stranger than Paradise

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