Paranoid Park (2007)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Movie review
From Time Out London
After ‘Gerry’, ‘Elephant’ and ‘Last Days’, this is the fourth film from Gus Van Sant in which teenage boys or young men are forced to deal with unavoidable death, whether from a merciless sun, murderous fellow pupils or suicide after depression and drug abuse. Here, the end arrives from nowhere as a quiet, likeable skateboarding Portland teen, Alex (Gabe Nevins) accidentally kills a security guard while trespassing on the railway. Manslaughter apart, Alex’s life is normal: separating parents, first sex, hanging with friends, and the attraction of new people and places, such as the menacing downtown skate park from which the film takes its name. Unshakeable, piercing worry is another staple of teenage life, only Alex’s distress is exceptional: the police are sniffing around his school and the newspaper reminds him daily of the sight of a man cut in half by a train…
‘Paranoid Park’ is slighter and slightly less affecting than its predecessors, with which it shares an up-close intimacy with its main players and an invitation to read its characters through photography and sound design as much as through dialogue, which is fitful and sometimes masked by music. The photography – by Chris Doyle and Kathy Li – assumes even greater significance as the world beyond Alex is blurred, and the film’s framing rejects the intrusion of anyone else, not least adults, into his world. A build-up of secrecy and anxiety are well-served by Van Sant’s chopped-up narrative of the slow reveal, and again the director shows a keen eye for the rituals and worries of teenage life. It’s impossible, though, for him to better ‘Last Days’ for entering the head of a troubled soul.
Author: Dave Calhoun
Time Out London Issue 1948: December 19 2007-January 1 2008
User reviews of this film
-
- benjamin ross said...
- Posted on Feb 27 2009 22:11 another goodie from van sant. i just watched 'elephant' yesterday and needed another van sant fix. whilst this isn't as good as 'elephant', it's still a damn good film. kept my interest throughout and i really felt for the main character.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Godfrey Hamilton said...
- Posted on Jan 14 2009 06:00 Dave wants you to know he watched the ENTIRE movie, and can prove it. Plus, he doesn't have actually to think too hard when writing the usual lazy "review". For the obsessive "plot-revealer" par excellence, you'd have to go a long way to find the equal of the New Yorker's smug, self-absorbed and irritating Anthony Lane, who is happy, for example, to reveal the content and intention of the final freeze frame of 'Under the Sand'. Is there no way of stopping these dreadful people, who have not yet produced a single movie themselves?
- Report as inappropriate
-
- jerome said...
- Posted on Jan 21 2008 20:42 Since Time Out's reviews are otherwise useful to me, I suggest make a pledge to never give away too much of any film receiving more than one star.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- mistergourmet said...
- Posted on Jan 04 2008 17:13 Why has this reviewer - in common with many others - given away the central plot element, which is revealed only slowly in the film? By doing so, he has completely punctured the suspense of the film. This contempt for the audience is becoming increasingly common. Film reviewers (especially this one) need reminding of their responsibilities towards the audience (and their readers)
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Gus Van Sant
Producer: Marin Karmitz, Nathanael Karmitz
Cast: Gabe Nevins, Liu Dan, Jake Miller, Taylor Momsen, Lauren McKinney, Olivier Garnier, Scott Green, Winfield Henry Jackson, Dillon Hines, Brad Peterson, John Burrouwes, Emma Nevins, Joe Schweitzer, Christopher Doyle, Grace Carter, Jay Williamson full cast
Genre(s): Drama
Rated: 15
Duration: 85 mins
UK Release: Dec 26 2007
US Release: Oct 24 2007
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Michael Jackson's This Is It: review
Kenny Ortega's posthumous concert film is a rousing eulogy for one of pop's great enigmas
Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace
From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'
Danish director Lone Scherfig was an unlikely choice for a very English affair like 'An Education'. Cath Clarke meets her
How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life
Time Out gets Romantic with the ‘difficult’ New Zealander about her new film, 'Bright Star'
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now