Allie, the protagonist, wanders through the lonely, desolate, yet busy streets of downtown Manhattan. As if to dramatically capture the period shortly after the war, Permanent Vacation portrays the ruined buildings left in the wake of the Vietnam War and the people suffering from its aftereffects. Allie visits his mother, who is recovering in a psychiatric hospital, and encounters a man with PTSD who believes the Vietnam War has not yet ended. Through the various people Allie meets, we are led to reflect on lives that are forced to leave—or that cannot become wanderers. Permanent Vacation is Jim Jamsch’s first feature film and is also autobiographical. Even in his debut, Jarmusch portrays the life of a wandering outsider, a theme he continues to explore in his later works. Just as Permanent Vacation features characters from diverse ethnicities and cultures, Jarmusch consistently presents new and varied cultures throughout his films.

Print from the collection of Kino im Blauen Salon (HfG KA)