Paranoid Park (2007)

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

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

Gus Van Sant (screenplay), Blake Nelson (novel)

Stars:

Gabe Nevins, Daniel Liu, Jake Miller

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The teenager and skateboarder Alex is interviewed by Detective Richard Lu that is investigating the death of a security guard in the rail yards severed by a train that was apparently hit by a skate board. While dealing with the separation process of his parents and the sexual heat of his virgin girlfriend Jennifer, Alex writes his last experiences in Paranoid Park with his new acquaintances and how the guard was killed, trying to relieve his feeling of guilty from his conscience.

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Plot Keywords:

death | security guard | skateboarder | train | teenager | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some disturbing images, language and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official [United Kingdom] Official MySpace

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

Crimen oculto

Filming Locations:

Burnside Skatepark, Portland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$29,828 (USA) (7 March 2008)

Gross:

$486,021 (USA) (6 June 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, Meno Films, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2007 (#01)

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Goofs

During the scene where Alex pushes the guard who gets slashed by the trains' wheels, the guard falls backwards, so he's suppose to be lying on his back, but on the shot where Alex is standing next to him, the guard seems to be as he fell forward, and lies on his stomach.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alex: Oh. Hey Uncle Tommy.
Uncle Tommy: Hey.

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Connections

References Amarcord (1973)

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Soundtracks

"La Porticina Segreta"
from Juliet of the Spirits
Written by Nino Rota
Conducted by Carlo Savina
Courtesy of C.A.M. S.r.l. (p) 1965 C.A.M. S.r.l.

User Reviews

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.