If we’re going to assert that poetry is work, we need to go beyond the semantics and difficulty and consider how it’s valued alongside other types of labor. The movie Paterson and Jim Jarmusch give us the opportunity to compare the work of making poetry with material forms of creative work and the waged work of bus driving. By highlighting the contrast between Paterson writing at work and his wife Laura making things at home, we’re immediately confronted with the historically lopsided and gendered division of labor that takes place in the public and private spheres.
Political philosopher Hannah Arendt argued that the division of public and private realms is partially linked to the prioritization of intellectual over manual labor in classical Greek society. Arendt saw poetry, which is made purely of language, as the most human and least worldly of the arts. On the other hand, Richard Sennett saw craft as a merging of mental and manual labor, with the products representing the intimate connection between the hand and head.
However, the American philosopher Richard Sennett acknowledges that not all crafts are seen as equal, with parenting being viewed as different in character than plumbing or programming. Jarmusch defends the character of Laura against accusations of regressive gender roles, pointing out that she lives how she wants and is entrepreneurial, even if it’s in a domestic set-up. Jarmusch sees domesticity as a fact of how social structure works, but he also emphasizes the essential difference between the approaches to their respective crafts of the two main characters.
“River of Grass” is a film that explores the theme of insignificance in the grand scheme of the universe. Set in the Florida Everglades, the film follows Cozy, a bored housewife, and Lee, a gregarious stranger she meets in a bar.
After a series of events, the pair become convinced that they have killed a man and go on the run. However, their actions feel inconsequential against the backdrop of the vast and unyielding natural world. The film’s ending shot of freeway gridlock heading off into the distance further reinforces this theme. The characters in the film exaggerate their own importance, but Reichardt ultimately suggests that life existed long before they came along and will continue long after their drama has ended.
Director Kelly Reichardt is known for using natural space in her films to convey the idea that the world goes on regardless of human activity. This is evident in “River of Grass” through the use of the Everglades as a setting, as well as the film’s ending shot of freeway gridlock heading off into the distance. The characters in the film exaggerate their own importance. Still, Reichardt’s film ultimately suggests that life existed long before they came along and will continue long after their drama has ended.
While the meandering apathy of “River of Grass” can be a challenge for viewers, Reichardt’s wit and skill as a filmmaker make it worth a watch. The film may be a bit too ethereal for some, but this could very well be the point as it suggests that our individual experiences and struggles are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. If you’re a fan of Reichardt’s later work or enjoy films that ponder the larger questions of existence, “River of Grass” is definitely worth checking out.
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