Paranoid Park (2007)

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers (WGA):

Gus Van Sant (screenplay)
Blake Nelson (novel)

Release Date:

24 October 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sport | Thriller

Plot:

A teenage skateboarder's life begins to fray after he is involved in the accidental death of a security guard.

Plot Keywords:

Skateboarder | Death | Security Guard | Accidental Death | Teenager

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Gabe Nevins	...	Alex
Daniel Liu	...	Detective Richard Lu (as Dan Liu)
Jake Miller	...	Jared
Taylor Momsen	...	Jennifer
Lauren McKinney	...	Macy
Scott Patrick Green	...	Scratch (as Scott Green)
John Michael Burrowes	...	Security Guard (as John 'Mike' Burrowes)
Grace Carter	...	Alex's Mom
Jay 'Smay' Williamson	...	Alex's Dad
Christopher Doyle	...	Uncle Tommy
Dillon Hines	...	Henry
Emma Nevins	...	Paisley
Brad Peterson	...	Jolt
Winfield Jackson	...	Christian (as Winfield Henry Jackson)
Joe Schweitzer	...	Paul

Also Known As:

Crimen oculto (Peru) [es]
Paranoid Park (Brazil) [pt]
Paranoid Park (Greece) [el]
Paranoid Park (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Paranoid Park (Argentina) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing images, language and sexual content.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:R | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:15 | Taiwan:R-12 (original rating) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:11 | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-13 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Austria:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Czech Republic:12 | Peru:14 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:16 (TV rating) | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Burnside Skatepark, Portland, Oregon, USA

Company:

MK2 Productions

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Gus Van Sant]Makes an appearance in the coffee shop scene, reading a newspaper.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Alex killed the man he had blood on his shirt. But from where? The blood couldn't be of the victim because Alex stood high on a train when he killed the man.

Quotes:

Alex: I just feel like there's something outside of normal life. Outside of teachers, breakups, girlfriends. Like, right out there, like outside - there's like different levels of... stuff.

Movie Connections:

References Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Soundtrack:

Strongest Man in the World

Another fine film from Gus Van Sant

This is another fine film by Gus Van Sant which sadly seems to have overlooked by most cinemas and cinema-goers where I live. I attended one of three screenings at an almost-deserted local art-house cinema in Southampton. For me, however, this short, low-key film left a deep-impression.

The non-narrative structure of the film means that the action on screen cuts back and forth in time around a central incident in which Alex, played by Gabe Nevins, causes the death of a security guard on a train track in Portland, Oregon, where the film is set. This shocking event is unveiled, appropriately enough, in the middle of the film. From very early it is more or less obvious what trouble Alex is in, so there is little sense of mystery about the film's events. However the non-narrative sequencing does allow for questions to float to the surface before explanations and elaborations begin to crop up later in the film, allowing the viewer to make connections and draw some conclusions for themselves. I quite enjoy this approach to story-telling although it does seem to be increasingly common (see Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Memento, et al).

The cast, apparently consisting of local teenagers with little background in acting, turn in some fine performances, especially Gabe Nevins in the central role of Alex. Scenes in the film are interspersed with camcorder footage of teenagers skateboarding around Oregon, which is a novel touch and in keeping with the feel of Van Sant's films, which are realistic but more dreamlike than gritty.

A special mention should go to the soundtrack in Paranoid Park, which is one of the strongest features of this film. The music ranges from rock (the Revolts) through folk (Elliott Smith) to classical (Beethoven) and musique concrete (Robert Normandeau). My favourite use of music in the film is in the opening shots of skateboarders in the skate park (from which the film's title is taken). Warm electronic tones and burblings envelope a continuous slow-motion camera shot of skateboarders as they rove around the the curves and angles of the park and the effect is really quite magical. (Having said that, I think there are one too many slow-motion shots later in this film which seem somewhat suspicious when the running time is less than 90 minutes...)