At first glance, not much happens in Stranger Than Paradise. Willie Molnar (John Lurie) is a New York hipster with Hungarian roots, whom we accompany through his everyday life over the course of three episodes. First, Willie gets a visit from his Hungarian cousin Eva, who stays with him for ten days until her aunt Lotte is discharged from the hospital. Initially annoyed by the uninvited guest, Willie gradually opens up—and in the following two episodes, he even leaves his beloved New York to see Eva. And Lake Erie, even though there isn't really that much to see there... “Stranger Than Paradise” is Jim Jarmusch's second feature film and marks a breakthrough not only in the director's career, but also in the international visibility of micro-budget US independent cinema in general. It is also full of enchantingly laconic moments in which either nothing happens – or everything happens.

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