Sometimes, in life, we’re forced to be with people we don’t immediately get along with, like in the classroom, the workplace, or, if you’re unlucky, in a jail cell. Down by Law is black-and-white drama focused on three men in a jail cell, two of them outright hating each other, but not as much as they hate their third fellow foreign inmate for being so smiley all the time. It’s a funny adventure, made more funny as they snipe at each other, but even if the two Americans supposedly hate each other, it’s still a charming friendship that we can’t help but root for, one made simple and straightforwardly by director Jim Jarmusch.

The jokes. The movie is basically three guys stuck with each other, but the performances and Jarmusch’s dialogue makes it feel natural and compelling.