Paranoid Park

Paranoid Park (Rated R)

Running time: 1 hr 25 mins

Cast:

Gabe Nevins
Daniel Liu

Critical consensus (www.rottentomatoes.com):

***1/2 out of *****

My consensus:

**** out of *****









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

My review: Paranoid Park is a very little known independent film directed by Gus Van Sant whom some may recall as the director of Elephant. Paranoid Park is similar to Elephant in the way that it's about teenagers who are exposed to shocking events that alter their lives. The film is even similar to another independent drama, Mean Creek. It's played out a little differently here however. The film is almost trying to come off as a documentary about a teenage skateboarder. The performances all have a very real and authentic feel about them as if no one is actually acting, but just talking in front of a camera. A risky movie I think, but ultimately in my eyes, it pays off. I enjoyed young actor Gabe Nevins performance in this movie, I thought he was very composed and did in fact deliver an incredibly authentic performance. The story is a good one but pretty morose. Van Sant's adapted screenplay is very subdued and relies more on action and description to relay the story as opposed to dialog. His filmaking is great as usual but there are a few parts that threw me. There were random slow motion cuts, or scenes where we would be looking at these characters and the scene is overshadowed by random rock music. You have to see it to understand. Other than that, this is a very solid movie.