In the latest film by Gus Van Sant (Drugstore
Cowboy, Good Will Hunting), based
on a novel by Blake Nelson, an unsolved murder at Portland’s Paranoid Park
brings detectives to a local high school, propelling teenage skateboarder Alex
(Gabe Nevins) into a moral odyssey where he must not only deal with the pain
and disconnect of adolescence, but the consequences of his own actions. Winner
of a special 60th Anniversary Award at the most recent Cannes Film Festival,
Paranoid Park employs innovative cinematography by Christopher
Doyle (In the
Mood for Love) to tell its story in unconventional and impressionistic techniques
conveying the interior thoughts and experiences of its young protagonist. Long
recognized as an artist who has created some of the most memorable films about
youth, Gus Van Sant cast his non-professional actors via a MySpace page. Currently
Van Sant is in production in San Francisco with MILK. Editor/Writer/Director:
Gus Van Sant. (US 2007) 78 min.
