Stranger Than Paradise

I must say Stranger Than Paradise is a difficult film to watch. Not only is it slow, it is also in black and white--something I stay away from. I only watch black and white when I am forced to in class. And, yes, I watched STP in my film course.

STP, which is a lovely title I think, is a dark comedy but I found few of the scenes funny. It's about Eva, a Hungarian teenage, who visits her cousin, Willie, in New York City. Willie who is a hipster lives a very American life. He has his own apartment with a television and appliances that can be found in every American home like a vacuum. He demands his cousin and aunt to speak in English. And in the very beginning, he makes sure Eva knows that he does not want her to be staying with him. He is cold, unwelcoming, and arrogant. But Willie's friend, Eddie, takes an interest in Eva and everyone eventual become friends.

The rest of the film documents their adventures in and around Cleveland and Florida. The film goes by very slow which is not made any better by the fact that it's in black and white. The ending is, however, rewarding. There is a fantastic, ironic twist at the end that made me chuckle a little. Also, it ends on a good note that brings the film to a full circle.

The story and the way the characters behaved reminded me of my favorite book, The Stranger. People did not care much about others and even themselves. They would watch television programs for hours and hours without any reason and they showed no expression of liking what they are watching. They lived a very empty life without any ambitions, living their lives as their lives come to them. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, nobody really cares.

Despite me not truly enjoying the film, STP has been recognized several times. It won awards at the Sundance, Rotterdam, Locarno, and Cannes film festivals. Furthermore, it is a film preserved by the National Film Registry as a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" film.