THE LIMITS OF CONTROL (USA/2009/JIM JARMUSCH)

An unnamed man (Isaach de Bankolé) meets two men at an airport who provide him with a list of cryptic instructions in various languages. Apparently obeying them, the man then takes a plane to Madrid and endures a series of mysterious meetings with people. The people do not appear to know the protagonist, or even each other, but they share in common a philosophical manner which renders further instructions difficult to interpret. Each of these encounters follows the pattern of a bizarre ritual involving two cups of espressos, the question “You don’t speak Spanish, right?” and a written code which the man reads and then eats. Throughout his unorthodox journey, the man registers almost no emotion, even as he is repeatedly accosted by a flirtatious nude woman. Towards the end of the film, the man’s role becomes clear when he makes his way into a guarded compound in the desert.

It is hard to sum up The Limits Of Control after just one viewing. By deliberately eschewing familiar narrative traits, director Jim Jarmusch demands special attention to detail from the audience, but the film’s slow pacing and the repetitive nature of the meetings often drive away interest. In essence, it is a mystery reluctant to be solved, Christopher Doyle’s stellar cinematography burnishing the more incomprehensible moments to a pretty shine. But even at his most obscure, Jarmusch’s boyish sense of humour remains, with lines such as “sometimes I like it in films when people just sit there, not saying anything”.

DOWN BY LAW (USA/1986/JIM JARMUSCH)

Down By Law, Jim Jarmusch’s jailbreak movie, is an unparalleled joy to watch for the first time. Starring Jarmusch regulars Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni, it tells the story of three men who form an alliance after meeting in prison. Zack (Waits) is a distracted radio DJ who is led to the slammer by his desire to make a quick buck, having agreed to caddy a Mercedes out of town, unaware of its contents. Jack (Lurie) is an amateur pimp whose clumsiness and greed eventually lead him to the same fate and, eventually, the same cell. Taking cue from one another, the two men puff out their chests, determined not to be seen as the weaker of the pair. All this changes dramatically when a third criminal, Bob (Benigni), joins them. With his enthusiasm for human interaction and constant repetition of trite English idioms, Bob’s presence is initially met with scepticism, but opinions quickly change once he brews an escape plan. Soon the three are on the run in the open air, the group hierarchy constantly shifting as they traverse the twilit bayou outside.

While escape stories are often entertaining, Jarmusch acknowledges that his characters are far more interesting than their predicaments. The three lead actors make this experience more than worthwhile, particularly Benigni, whose ravings at times become bigger than the film itself. Combining a magnetic and frequently funny script with a rich canvas of light, this is a film that all budding cineastes need to watch.