Stranger Than Paradise

"A new American film"

1984 1h 30m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 630

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

New York layabout Willie forms an unexpected bond with his young Hungarian cousin Eva when she pays him a surprise visit. Later, Eva moves in with their aunt in Cleveland, and Willie takes his best friend Eddie to see her—a visit that culminates in a strange, eventful trip to Florida.

“A new American film”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

John Lurie
Willie
Eszter Balint
Eva
Richard Edson
Eddie
Cecillia Stark
Aunt Lotte
Danny Rosen
Billy
Rammellzee
Man with money
Tom DiCillo
Airline Agent
Richard Boes
Factory Worker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writers: Jim Jarmusch
Languages: English, Hungarian
Countries: United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $2M — a 24.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hungarian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jim Jarmusch, shot by Tom DiCillo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Lurie. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jim Jarmusch directs. Tom DiCillo behind the camera. John Lurie scores. Jim Jarmusch cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in English, Hungarian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $2M — a 24.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
442 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hungarian.
6International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.
7Directed by Jim Jarmusch, shot by Tom DiCillo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by John Lurie. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Jim Jarmusch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10John Lurie and Eszter Balint and Richard Edson carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "A new American film".
12IMDB entry: tt0088184 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 11 themes, including "bet", "florida", "new york city", "immigrant".