Mystery Train

Mystery Train - 2002-08-10. Director: Jim Jarmusch. USA, 1989, Color, 110 minutes. Mystery Train solidified Jim Jarmusch's position as one of the funniest and most creative contemporary filmmakers. In this film, like his other works, Jarmusch's favorite theme of the mythical landscape of America serves as the backdrop, with the story set in Memphis, Tennessee, which is essentially the mecca of pop music and where it is said all roads lead to the late Elvis Presley. The film's ingenious structure intertwines three very unlikely stories, all occurring in one night, so that all characters end up emerging from a rundown third-rate hotel at the end of the film. The first story involves a young Japanese couple whose purpose for traveling to America and Memphis is essentially to pilgrimage to this rock and roll Mecca. In the second story, we meet an Italian woman whose plane makes a brief stop in Memphis. The viewer then discovers that this woman is also carrying her husband's coffin. In the third story, we encounter a rough and grumpy Englishman and his two friends, becoming familiar with their adventures. What connects these three stories is a plethora of absurd and humorous encounters and events, along with the director's interesting and skillful portrayal of the clichés of films that have previously dealt with themes such as music and rock and roll.