Paranoid Park (2007)

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:

Skateboard | High School | Communication | Shower Scene | Teen

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Gabe Nevins	...	Alex
Daniel Liu	...	Detective Richard Lu
Taylor Momsen	...	Jennifer
Jake Miller	...	Jared
Lauren McKinney	...	Macy
Winfield Jackson	...	Christian
Joe Schweitzer	...	Paul
Grace Carter	...	Alex's Mom
Scott Patrick Green	...	Scratch
John Michael Burrowes	...	Security Guard
Jay 'Smay' Williamson	...	Alex's Dad
Dillon Hines	...	Henry
Emma Nevins	...	Paisley
Brad Peterson	...	Jolt
Emily Galash	...	Rachel
Oliver Garnier	...	Cal
Eric Anderson	...	Other Kid #1
Jeremy Anderson	...	Other Kid #2
Esther Vaca	...	Elizabeth Goulet
Susan Ploetz	...	Ms. Adams
Addison Owen	...	Another Kid #1
Andres Alcala	...	Officer #1
Jordy Weimer	...	Elizabeth's Friend
M. Blash	...	Teacher
Nick Culbertson	...	Class Kid
Mubarak Ra'oof	...	Another Kid #2
Ben Burrowes	...	Burger Restaurant Employee
Richard Miller	...	Detective #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Danny Minnick	...	Skateboarder
Francisco Pedrasa	...	Skateboarder

Directed by
Gus Van Sant

Writing credits (WGA)
Gus Van Sant		(screenplay)
Blake Nelson		(novel)

Produced by
David Allen Cress	....	producer (as David Cress)
Charles Gilibert	....	producer
Marin Karmitz	....	co-producer
Nathanaël Karmitz	....	producer
Neil Kopp	....	producer

Cinematography by
Christopher Doyle
Rain Li		(as Rain Kathy Li)

Film Editing by
Gus Van Sant

Casting by
Lana Veenker

Art Direction by
John Pearson-Denning

Set Decoration by
Sean Fong

Costume Design by
Chapin Simpson

Production Management
Brett Cranford	....	unit production manager
Mark Pedante	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kyle Lemire	....	second assistant director
Jonas Spaccarotelli	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jenelle Giordano	....	set dresser
Adam Johnson	....	art department
Drew Pinniger	....	property master
Dan Schaefer	....	storyboard artist: previsualizations for special effects

Sound Department
Felix Andrew	....	sound mixer
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Vincent Cosson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Noah Davis	....	additional adr recordist
Philippe Dongé	....	sound mix technician
Johann Nallet	....	sound recordist
Neil Riha	....	second sound mixer
Benjamin Rosier	....	assistant sound editor
Leslie Shatz	....	sound designer
Franck Tassel	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Solomon Burbridge	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Tarn Fox	....	digital compositor
Jalal Jemison	....	digital effects artist
Peter Vickery	....	digital compositor
Chel White	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Matt Barbee	....	first assistant camera
Chris Blauvelt	....	first assistant camera
Paul Fanning	....	electrician
T.G. Firestone	....	assistant camera
Bruce 'Sarge' Fleskes	....	gaffer
Andrew Gallegos	....	electrician
Nate Goodman	....	camera loader
Scott Patrick Green	....	still photographer
Brent Lawson	....	best boy grip
Brian C. Lawson	....	grip
Bruce Lawson	....	key grip
Stephen MacDougall	....	second assistant camera
Eliza Plumlee	....	camera production assistant
Greg Schmitt	....	steadicam operator
Joe Vitellaro	....	grip
Scott Walters	....	best boy electric

Casting Department
Danny Stoltz	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Amanda Needham	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Dicky Dahl	....	editorial assistant
Eric Hill	....	assistant editor
Mato	....	film color timer

Transportation Department
Victoria Mischa Austreng	....	driver
Steve Evans	....	driver
Jason Ruffolo	....	driver

Other crew
Cora Benesh	....	office production assistant
Colin McDougall Brown	....	lead office production assistant
Sara Burton	....	location manager
Kari A. Coleman	....	assistant: Mr. Van Sant
Morgan Currie	....	assistant: Mr. Cress and Mr. Kopp
Shayna Goldstein	....	set teacher
Amber Harrison	....	production assistant
Nicole Hawkins	....	extras coordinator
Andrea Hofer	....	craft service assistant
Devan Linforth	....	additional production assistant
Rachel Lipsey	....	craft service
Tyler J. Peterson	....	product placement
Davis Priestley	....	production coordinator
Eric Rae	....	assistant accountant
Joe Rynearson	....	key set production assistant
Patrick Sandefur	....	production assistant
Brian Shotzbarger	....	production assistant
Derek Wilson	....	production assistant

Thanks
Edouard Dubois	....	thanks

Production Companies

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

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Atalanta Filmes (2007) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Barbar Film (2007) (Turkey) (all media)
• Cinéart (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2007) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• FSK Kino & Peripher Filmverleih GmbH (2008) (Germany) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• IFC Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• IFC First Take (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Kino Swiat (2007) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Lucky Red (2007) (Italy) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• MK2 Productions
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Monopole (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Orlando Films (2007) (Israel) (all media)
• Palador Pictures (2007) (India) (theatrical)
• PiX (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Premium Film (2007) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Skouras Films (2007) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Sponge (2007) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Tartan Films (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Tokyo Theaters Company (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2008) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• MK2 Productions  international sales

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:

USA:R | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Norway:11 | Finland:K-13 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Taiwan:R-12 (original rating) | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Burnside Skatepark - 2nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon, USA

Company:

MK2 Productions

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

Continuity: When Alex goes to Rebel Skates he gets a board with white wheels. Later after the scene where Alex and Jennifer discuss condoms, the board Alex carries is a different board with green wheels. Later he has the board with white wheels again.

Movie Connections:

References Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Soundtrack:

Il Giardino delle Fate

Mop-top stuff from Gus Van Sant…

Mop-top stuff from Gus Van Sant… After turning his back on the mainstream 6 years ago with his striking yet spurned two-man tale, Gerry, acclaimed writer/director Gus Van Sant (Elephant, Last Days) delivers in refined style once more with his own eccentric yet poignant spin on the teen' movie genre.

Adapted from Blake Nelson's best selling novella and shot masterfully in Van Sant's hometown of Portland, Paranoid Park hinges upon an act of acute violence. Alex (Gabe Nevins) is a confused schoolboy skater whose life hits turmoil following his role in the death of a local security guard. The film itself, then, is largely told from Alex's perspective as he goes back and forth in his mind and notebook in an attempt to vindicate his tainted conscious and make sense of why and how things happened the way they did.

With the chronology of the omniscient narrative skewed and certain specific preliminary sequences misleading, Paranoid Park establishes a near perfect balance between form and content. The naivety and confusion stirring behind Nevins' infantile eyes are both complimented and mirrored by the structure of the plot. In his feature debut, Nevins gives a modest performance of troubled teen' in whom thoughts of; family, divorce, sex, skating, school and murder suffer a succession of high-speed collisions. At the age of just 15 years, Nevins' not only performs with quality beyond his tender years and experience, but provides a leading performance that is as convincing as it is impressive.

As for Van Sant, his tight film-making skills are exhibited throughout in what has to be considered as an experimental picture wherein an uncanny blend of hand-held, slow-mo' scenic inter-cuts, out-of-sync shots and mellow off-screen alternative music carve a moody yet nonchalant atmosphere that at times suggests that this is an independent crime-mystery drama, at others: a tale of boy becomes man. Whatever it is, it brings to mind the likes of Memento and Brick. Hence, it is simply brilliant. Mystifying, moving and quite majestic. Paranoid Park is one of this year's most haunting and interesting features that is genuinely up there with Van Sant's finest work thus far.