Permanent Vacation (1980)

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

26 July 1986 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young slacker wanders New York City searching for some meaning in life and encounters many idiosyncratic characters.

Plot Keywords:

Slacker | New York City | Mental Patient | Movie Theater | Tribeca

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Richard Boes	...	War vet
Ruth Bolton	...	Mother
Sara Driver	...	Nurse
María Duval	...	Latin girl
Frankie Faison	...	Man in lobby
Jane Fire	...	Nurse
Suzanne Fletcher	...	Girl in car
Leila Gastil	...	Leila
Chris Hameon	...	French traveller
John Lurie	...	Sax player
Eric Mitchell	...	Car fence
Chris Parker	...	Allie
Lisa Rosen	...	Popcorn girl
Felice Rosser	...	Woman by mailbox
Evelyn Smith	...	Patient
Charlie Spademan	...	Patient

Also Known As:

Diakopes diarkeias (Greece) [el]
Loputon loma (Finland) [fi]
Nieustajace wakacje (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

75 min | Argentina:80 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:Btl | Finland:S | Hong Kong:I | Switzerland:16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cinesthesia Productions

Trivia:

This film is featured on second disc of the Stranger Than Paradise (1984) DVD released in 2007 by the Criterion Collection.

Goofs:

Continuity: Allie stands in the middle of the room to talk to Leila, but the close shot shows his back closer to the wall.

Quotes:

Allie: Some people, you know, they - they can distract themselves with ambitions and motivation to work, you know, but not me... They think people like myself are crazy, you know. Everyone does because of the way I live, you know.

Movie Connections:

Features Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)

Soundtrack:

Up There in Orbit

Assured first film

Assured first film from Jarmusch is pretty tough viewing to begin with. Slow moving or not moving at all and ponderous, seeming inconsequential dialogue but then somewhere along the line we find ourselves captivated. Beautifully shot with ugly/beautiful still shots of back streets of New York. Apart from a scene showing the lead guy spray painting a sub title for the film and thereby seeming to plant the film within the late 70s or 80s, the rest of the 'action' gives more the impression of taking place in the late 60s/early 70s. It may well be that Jarmusch has not set the film in the past but that his cinematic influences are from that period. In any event this is well worth a watch and as with all the man's films there is a fiercely compassionate element. Even when the characters appear completely unappealing, we are somehow encouraged to feel some degree of empathy.