“No one is ever really ready for Paranoid Park” - These words are spoken to Alex, the film’s main character just before his first trip to Portland’s famed haven for skateboarders, street kids, and punks. This warning, though seeming innocent enough, ends up vastly understating Alex’s unpreparedness for, not only the events surrounding his experiences in the park, but the next stage of adolescence as a whole.
Paranoid Park is directed by Gus Van Sant, the critically acclaimed filmmaker behind one of my all-time favorite movies, Good Will Hunting. Van Sant has developed a sterling reputation for his ability to capture the turmoils of youth, and Paranoid Park continues that tradition.
The film’s disjointed and somewhat circular plot structure centers around the events and consequences of one of the protagonist’s first experiences at the skate park for which the film is titled. Shortly after we meet Alex, played capably by newcomer Gabe Nevins, he is pulled out of class and called to an empty classroom and questioned by a police detective. The detective informs Alex that the body of a security guard has been found on the train tracks that run past the skate park. The police recovered a skate board from the nearby river with DNA evidence linking it to the crime. Alex tells the police officer that he didn’t go to the park that night and the officer lets him on his way. The “real” story of Paranoid is occasionally narrated by Alex as he is apparently describing them to a friend through a letter, which the friend claims will make Alex feel better because he is getting the truth off his chest. Alex explains the fractured nature of the story by stating that he, “was never good at creative writing anyway.”
As the film progresses, it alternates between the real story of that evening at Paranoid Park and the other dilemmas in Alex’s life. The only one of these side plots that receives a significant amount of attention is Alex’s relationship with his girlfriend. Alex seems to only want to be with his girlfriend so he can say that he has one, he never really seems to care about her and spending time with her seems to be a burden. He even says that he is considering breaking up with her because she is a virgin and he believes that she will probably want to have sex soon, which will inevitably mean more commitment than he is interested in. Perhaps it is this lack of interest in women, and his desire to spend his time at the skate park with the boys, that lead film critic Amy Taubin to declare the subtext of the film to be a “gay initiation.” I didn’t pick up on it while I was watching the film, but after looking back and reading Van Sant’s response (he didn’t deny it) I can see where she’s coming from.
For me the strengths of the film really center around Van Sant’s directing. Much like his 2003 release, Elephant, Van Sant uses lots of long, continuous, dream like shots. There are moments where Alex is struggling with the burden of his situation and the camera will follow him walking with the rest of the world sort of fading into the background, creating a very cool effect. To further the dream like nature of the film, Van Sant repeats a variety of his shots, when the story loops back around, it is not uncommon for Van Sant to show us the same image from a different perspective or to show an image again, but in slow motion. The pacing of Paranoid was very well done as well; for a movie that clocks in at just under an hour-and-a-half, it is impressive to not have things seem rushed.
Paranoid’s weaknesses had much more to do with the people in front of the camera than the man behind it. While Nevins proved capable in playing Alex, I found several of the supporting actors to be really weak. The most notable of these was Alex’s friend Macy, played by Lauren McKinney. Her performance was simply terrible. Not only did all of her lines seem forced and awkward, but on more than one occasion she looks directly at the camera before realizing what she was doing and then darting her eyes away. I’ve seen high school plays with significantly better acting than this. His girlfriend, who apparently is from the TV show Gossip Girl (which I’ve gathered is like The O.C. for middle school girls), isn’t as comically bad as McKinney, but bad enough that I’m curious how she managed to land a recurring role on TV.
Even with these flaws, Paranoid Park is still a successful film. Van Sant creates suspense and makes Alex genuinely feel like a real person which makes his actions seem realistic given the personality that we are shown. It is stylishly filmed and features a solid soundtrack, even if it is a little heavy on the Elliot Smith. If you’re at all a fan of Van Sant’s other work then you’re in for a treat with this movie. Even if you’re unfamiliar with his style, you’ll appreciate Paranoid for its achievement in capturing a snapshot of youth culture, even if the member of that culture that it focuses on is thrust into a totally foreign situation. I wouldn’t put Paranoid into the must rent category, but, if there is nothing at the video store that you’re absolutely dying to watch, it is definitely worth checking out.
Related posts:
Ok, this was actually one movie we weren’t on the same page with. I agree that it was well made and had some nice camera shots. I just couldn’t make it past the horrible acting and my issues with the plot to really appreciate it. I seriously cringed every time his friend Macy appeared in a scene. I don’t know what you really thought about the ending but I wanted a little more out of it. It bugged me that he just burned his confession letter, faces no consequences that we can tell, and goes on with life as normal (at least this is what it lead me to assume). I guess this just wasn’t the movie for me. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it unless you really really like Gus Van Sant’s directing.
Great advice. You pretend that I’m gonna do that?