2007 / 85m - USA
Crime, Drama, Mystery
3.5*/5.0*
Paranoid Park poster

Watches

November 18, 2007

4.0*/5.0*

January 18, 2024

3.5*/5.0*

Together with Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days, Paranoid Park forms an interesting quadruple in Gus Van Sant's oeuvre. Very slow and low-key films that feel realistic but are still minutely stylized. It's not the best of the four, and also one of the more narrative ones, but it's required viewing if you liked the other three.

Alex is a young kid who loves to skate. With his friend, he visits Paranoid Park, which is a paradise for young skaters, but also somewhat of a lawless place. He meets up with some older guys there, and he goes train hopping with them. When a guard tries to arrest them, things get out of hand.

The score is remarkable, the camera work is interesting, and the structure of the plot makes the story a bit more interesting. I didn't care for the 4:3 aspect ratio though and while properly stylized, I think it should've been a little more polished to ace its minimalist approach. A worthy film, but not the masterpiece I remembered it to be.