Paranoid Park
Gus Vant Sant is synonymous with a particular brand of American arthouse, epitomised by films like DRUGSTORE COWBOY and MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. Since then, he's journeyed into the mainstream, sometimes subversively (TO DIE FOR) and sometimes for some commercial feelgoodery (GOOD WILL HUNTING).
He's also fostered his strange streak, producing films like the compellingly stripped-back GERRY and his visual poem to the Columbine shooting, ELEPHANT. (And that's not accounting for his virtually shot-for-shot remake of PSYCHO; it's the cinematic equivalent of typing out someone else's book in a new font.)
His latest film, PARANOID PARK, is something of a creative compromise: a teen drama with hints of a murder mystery for those who like narrative thrust, and plenty of gorgeous, dreamy slo-mo for fans of his mood pieces. The young actors range from oh-so-the-producer-must-be-your-father to surprisingly strong, especially Gabe Nevins in the lead as Alex, the young, lost skater who haltingly narrates the story.
While Van Sant has always seemed more interested in adolescence than adulthood, this might be his first film that's explicitly for teenagers, and not just about them.
Format: Cinema
Mood: Epic
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