Stranger Than Paradise

The films in the Trans-Borders section of the programme tell of the many frontier crossings immigrants make before finally reaching their new home. In New York, the traditions and views these immigrants bring with them undergo a transformation. It is the collective result of this process that gives the city its polyphonic fascination.

Stranger Than Paradise

D: Jim Jarmush, USA 1984, 89 min, German subtitles

This film attained cult status in the 1980s, less for its plot about a young Hungarian woman's encounter with her American cousin, but rather for its minimalistic narrative form, with its long camera takes and laconic black and white pictures. The result is a subtle, melancholy film about the condition of being a stranger.