Paranoid Park (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers (WGA):

Gus Van Sant (screenplay)
Blake Nelson (novel)

Release Date:

24 October 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Death | Security Guard | Skateboarder | Train | Girlfriend

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 Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | 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)

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:

Macy: They should be out now, dude.
Alex: What are you talkin' about?
Macy: The war, Iraq, no? What do you think?
Alex: I really don't care.

Movie Connections:

References "South Park" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Il Giardino delle Fate

Not for everybody

"Paranoid Park" is about what is going on in the head of a teenage boy after he has experienced a shattering trauma. He is dislocated and remote and 'not all there', or is he just in shock? It really is up to the audience to decide for themselves, because in an experimental movie like this one, no easy answers are forthcoming.

In general I quite like Gus Van Sant's films, but be aware that you need to judge each of his films on their own merits. This is hardly the Gus Van Sant of Hollywoodian mild indie fare like "To Die For", "Psycho", "Good Will Hunting" or "Finding Forrester". Stylistically "Paranoid Park" is a close cousin to his later "Elephant". Low key, quiet, internalised, sometimes naturalistic, but often dreamy, and with a chronologically fractured time line. None of the actors seemed to be acting at all. Brilliant casting or brilliant acting? I am unsure.

Not for everybody.