Jim Jarmusch

Jim Jarmusch's version of the adage: 'Real recognize real.'

Jim Jarmusch is one of my favorite directors, not only for his films (Broken Flowers probably being the best-known) but also for the way he makes them. He is notorious for his independence, and not in a 'Look at me! I made an independent film under the aegis of Disney or another once-removed major studio.' Jarmusch doesn't make pretend independent films. They are gritty, raw, unpolished and imperfect--just like real people are. He often shoots overseas, but even when he films in the U.S. he gets his funding from overseas companies more interested in the art he can create rather than meddling and trying to pump up the bottom line.

(Sidebar: Who the fuck told accountants they had the same vision and artistic capabilities as an auteur anyway? If studios really believe that countless layers of producers can create great art, why not hire them to direct and save a bunch of money eaten up by director's salaries? Especially if making money is the only goal. But I digest...)

At any rate, he has a stark and strange vision; somehow, by putting people in these aggressively weird situations he brings out the humanity of people at their most naked and honest.

Watch 'Dead Man' if you haven't seen it before, and look up 'Down By Law,' especially if you are a Tom Waits fan. He's never been much of an actor, but Jarmusch captures the essence of the man in this piece in a way that is more authentic and valuable than any 'actory' version of the character would have been.

And remember: Don't let the fuckers get ya.