Today I am reviewing two movies and a book. The movies are “Paterson” (Amazon Prime) and “Mr Harrigan’s Phone” (Netflix). The book is “My Name is Asher Lev”.

I picked these three independently to write about with no reason to pair them together, but as I started putting pen to paper, they were similar in certain ways.  One common theme among the three was excellence.

Initially, I was going to summarize the plot of each but that’s not necessary. You can get that from IMDb for the movies (“Paterson,” “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”) and Goodreads for the book.

Let’s go beyond that for this purpose. Let’s start with the two movies. 

There are some strong similarities in these two movies.

• Limited number of characters. Essentially two in each movie.

• Limited sets.  Both movies substantially take place in one or two sets. In Paterson, it’s the main character’s house in a small suburb of New Jersey and on a municipal bus.  For Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, it’s  Mr Harrigan’s  study.

• Superb acting, casting and script. Casting is underrated. Right person, right role.

• Minimal special effects and an absence of things blowing up and exploding.  I find this to be a plus.

• About the right length in time in terms of minutes. Not too short, not too long.

When you add all these things up, minimal sets, characters and special effects, it comes down to one thing. Acting.  And that’s the way it should be.  That’s why I loved these two movies.  Simply good acting.

The stories were vastly different. Paterson was a thought provoking rainy Sunday afternoon movie.  Mr. Harrington’s Phone was a Friday or Saturday night suspenseful movie.

I am a tough critic of movies, and I could watch both of these again. Put these on your list.

The book “My Name is Asher Lev” by Cham Potok (Fiction)

Asher Lev is a young boy growing up in a Hasidic Jewish Community in NYC. In his early years, early teens, he realizes he has immense talent in art – sketching and painting.  His talent was so strong, it was evident to him at a very young age. The imagery of this book was clear in my mind as I had once visited a Hasidic Jewish community in NYC.

He is not the only one that sees his talent. Those in this community reluctantly notice and acknowledge it. They try unsuccessfully to deny it. Choosing a path as an artist is essentially throwing in the towel on a career in his community. A forbidden path.  Can he channel the courage to pursue his dream? I ask that question to myself every day.

 This quote from the book speaks to me.

“Millions of people can draw.  Art is whether there is a scream in you wanting to get out in a special way.”You can substitute “draw” with write or whatever you may be pursuing.

When I picked these two movies and a book, I did not combine these three intentionally. But when I reflect on them collectively, it makes sense. Writing poetry passionately (Paterson).  Reading out loud and enjoying literature (Mr. Harrington’s Phone). Pursuing a path of art in the face of monumental headwinds (My Name Is Asher Lev).

There is a connection among the three.

“Millions of people can draw.  Art is whether there is a scream in you wanting to get out in a special way.”

Let it out.