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All aboard Jarmusch's Mystery Train
Saturday, September 21, 2024
One of his early standouts is Mystery Train. Released in 1989 and set in Memphis, the movie weaves together three interconnected stories that take place over the course of a single night. One follows a young Japanese couple, portrayed by Masatoshi Nagase and Yuki Kudo, visiting the city to pay homage to Elvis Presley at Sun Studios. Another focuses on a recently widowed Italian woman (Nicoletta Braschi) who ends up sharing a hotel room with a stranger. The final story centers on a British immigrant, played by Joe Strummer, whose night spirals into chaos after a series of unfortunate events. Supporting roles include performances by Steve Buscemi, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Tom Noonan.
The eccentric personalities in this triptych tale characters share a commonality beyond their presence in Memphis: They eventually all end up in a fleabag motel in the city, with America not being the native country for the three main characters. We learn that each of these story segments occurs at roughly the same time, as evidenced by each set of characters hearing the radio DJ and the gunshot within the hotel simultaneously.
Most of the soundtrack features music by early rock and rollers who presumably recorded in or left a major mark on the city, including Elvis, Junior Parker, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding, and the Bar-Kays. The title derives from the famous cover of the song of the same name by Elvis, which kicks off the opening of the film. Speaking of, Elvis appears as a ghost to the widow; it could be a dream or hallucination, or it could be a real apparition, giving the narrative a tinge of the supernatural that wouldn’t feel out of place in Memphis: a mecca to the King of Rock and Roll.
The film relies heavily on small moments and relatively trifling exchanges between major and minor characters as opposed to a weighty plot dependent on action, twists, or rising and falling drama. Also, Mystery Train is arguably more a comedy than a drama, although there are dark moments such as the shooting of a liquor store owner and when Luisa is followed by three men on the street at night.
A major thematic appeal of Mystery Train is, of course, the pervasive influence and powerful impact of music. Pop music, particularly by American rock 'n' rollers, plays a significant role in shaping the characters' experiences. The film explores how music bridges cultural divides and forges connections between diverse individuals. “Mystery Train is a singularly enthusiastic American anthem that trenchantly interprets the cult of audiophilia as filthy gas stoves roasting marshmallows, raspy radio DJs hawking fried calamari, and ill-equipped racial armies ignorantly clashing by night,” wrote Slant critic Joseph Jon Lanthier.
Jarmusch himself said in an interview: “What I like about the Japanese kids in Memphis is, if you think about tourists visiting Italy, the way the Romantic poets went to Italy to visit the remnants of a past culture, and then if you imagine America in the future, when people from the East or wherever visit our culture after the decline of the American empire – which is certainly in progress – all they'll really have to visit will be the homes of rock'n'roll stars and movie stars. That's all our culture ultimately represents. So going to Memphis is a kind of pilgrimage to the birthplace of a certain part of our culture.”
Mystery Train also marinates in serendipity and random chance. Fate is a prominent message, showcasing how seemingly unrelated characters' paths cross by accident. These incidental encounters underscore the arbitrariness of life and how unanticipated moments can bring people together or force them to cross paths.
To the surprise of no one who has seen other Jarmusch films, the inability to communicate and connect is examined. According to Bright Lights Film Journal essayist Alan Jacobson, “Jarmusch makes films that focus on the subtle nuances of communication…the failure for human beings to connect and then spark and the consequences of this typical human failure to communicate is not only a running concern through one of America’s best filmmakers’ work, but it is his strong suit.” We observe how the Japanese couple encounter difficulty interpreting Americans around them and can’t communicate easily with each other, either. Luisa, meanwhile, can’t seem to easily connect with her hotel roommate; and Charlie and Will struggle to talk sense into Johnny, whose impulsive, violent behavior puts them in danger.
Moreover, Mystery Train gives voice to personalities from different backgrounds and countries, delving into cultural alienation and the outsider’s experience of America. The first story centers on Japanese tourists, the second on an Italian widow, and the third on an Englishman—each navigating the unfamiliar terrain of Memphis and trying to better understand America and its people through this music-famous city. It emphasizes the feeling of estrangement that cultural differences create. Likewise, each of these foreigners is depicted as physically or emotionally isolated to some extent and unable to fully assimilate into the American way of life or mindset. Their respective travels through Memphis underscore these ideas.
Click here to listen to a recording of our CineVerse group discussion of Mystery Train, conducted last week.
The eccentric personalities in this triptych tale characters share a commonality beyond their presence in Memphis: They eventually all end up in a fleabag motel in the city, with America not being the native country for the three main characters. We learn that each of these story segments occurs at roughly the same time, as evidenced by each set of characters hearing the radio DJ and the gunshot within the hotel simultaneously.
Most of the soundtrack features music by early rock and rollers who presumably recorded in or left a major mark on the city, including Elvis, Junior Parker, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding, and the Bar-Kays. The title derives from the famous cover of the song of the same name by Elvis, which kicks off the opening of the film. Speaking of, Elvis appears as a ghost to the widow; it could be a dream or hallucination, or it could be a real apparition, giving the narrative a tinge of the supernatural that wouldn’t feel out of place in Memphis: a mecca to the King of Rock and Roll.
The film relies heavily on small moments and relatively trifling exchanges between major and minor characters as opposed to a weighty plot dependent on action, twists, or rising and falling drama. Also, Mystery Train is arguably more a comedy than a drama, although there are dark moments such as the shooting of a liquor store owner and when Luisa is followed by three men on the street at night.
A major thematic appeal of Mystery Train is, of course, the pervasive influence and powerful impact of music. Pop music, particularly by American rock 'n' rollers, plays a significant role in shaping the characters' experiences. The film explores how music bridges cultural divides and forges connections between diverse individuals. “Mystery Train is a singularly enthusiastic American anthem that trenchantly interprets the cult of audiophilia as filthy gas stoves roasting marshmallows, raspy radio DJs hawking fried calamari, and ill-equipped racial armies ignorantly clashing by night,” wrote Slant critic Joseph Jon Lanthier.
Jarmusch himself said in an interview: “What I like about the Japanese kids in Memphis is, if you think about tourists visiting Italy, the way the Romantic poets went to Italy to visit the remnants of a past culture, and then if you imagine America in the future, when people from the East or wherever visit our culture after the decline of the American empire – which is certainly in progress – all they'll really have to visit will be the homes of rock'n'roll stars and movie stars. That's all our culture ultimately represents. So going to Memphis is a kind of pilgrimage to the birthplace of a certain part of our culture.”
Mystery Train also marinates in serendipity and random chance. Fate is a prominent message, showcasing how seemingly unrelated characters' paths cross by accident. These incidental encounters underscore the arbitrariness of life and how unanticipated moments can bring people together or force them to cross paths.
To the surprise of no one who has seen other Jarmusch films, the inability to communicate and connect is examined. According to Bright Lights Film Journal essayist Alan Jacobson, “Jarmusch makes films that focus on the subtle nuances of communication…the failure for human beings to connect and then spark and the consequences of this typical human failure to communicate is not only a running concern through one of America’s best filmmakers’ work, but it is his strong suit.” We observe how the Japanese couple encounter difficulty interpreting Americans around them and can’t communicate easily with each other, either. Luisa, meanwhile, can’t seem to easily connect with her hotel roommate; and Charlie and Will struggle to talk sense into Johnny, whose impulsive, violent behavior puts them in danger.
Moreover, Mystery Train gives voice to personalities from different backgrounds and countries, delving into cultural alienation and the outsider’s experience of America. The first story centers on Japanese tourists, the second on an Italian widow, and the third on an Englishman—each navigating the unfamiliar terrain of Memphis and trying to better understand America and its people through this music-famous city. It emphasizes the feeling of estrangement that cultural differences create. Likewise, each of these foreigners is depicted as physically or emotionally isolated to some extent and unable to fully assimilate into the American way of life or mindset. Their respective travels through Memphis underscore these ideas.
Similar works
- “Hyperlink cinema” films with intersection narratives/characters, including Short Cuts, Grand Canyon, Crash, Pulp Fiction, Amores Perros (2000), Babel, Magnolia, Traffic, Love Actually, and Syriana
- Paris, Texas (1984), a poignant journey through isolation and reconciliation set against the vast backdrop of the American Southwest, imbued with a reflective, melancholic atmosphere
- Bagdad Café (1987), a quirky, heartwarming tale of unlikely friendships forming in a remote desert motel, blending offbeat humor with a touch of magical realism
- Slacker (1990), also featuring a meandering collection of interconnected scenes featuring oddball characters in Austin, Texas, with a casual, free-flowing narrative style
- Chungking Express (1994), a visually stylish, emotionally driven film set in the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, weaving together stories of lonely souls seeking connection
- Buffalo '66 (1998), a quirky and bittersweet tale of an ex-convict confronting his past, blending awkward humor with underlying sadness in this unique character study
- Smoke (1995), a series of interwoven stories unfolding in a Brooklyn cigar shop, spotlighting human interactions and conversations, wrapped in a gentle air of melancholy
Other films by Jim Jarmusch
- Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
- Down by Law (1986)
- Night on Earth (1991)
- Dead Man (1995)
- Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
- Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
- Broken Flowers (2005)
- The Dead Don't Die (2019)
