stranger than paradise (1984)

New Yorker Willie, (John Lurie), is paid a surprise visit by his Hungarian cousin Eva (Eszter Balint). Willie makes it obvious that he doesn't want her there, but his initial indifference develops into fondness before she moves on to stay with their aunt in Cleveland. A year later, Willie and his friend Eddie (Richard Edson) win some money cheating at poker. With the money Willie decides to visit Eva, with Eddie tagging along. But despite the change of location they end up just as bored there as in New York, eventually deciding to go back home, but change their minds at the last minute and head for Florida instead, taking Eva with them. There they loose all the money, but through a case of mistaken identity Eva is given more. But they are destined to end up alone through a variety of twists of fate all three end up seperated.
The ultimate hipster neo-jazz movie, this slow moving black and white story gives the characters time to breath and develop their mundane existence. The minimal look and dialogue is set within the starkness of the black and white cinematography, which is sometimes grainy, adding a grittiness to the sets, and sometimes bleached out whiteness, giving a bleak loneliness to the scenes and the characters within them. The look of the film holds your attention as much as the plot or characters. A road movie about getting out of a rut, whilst never leaving it.