Know Thyself.

92. Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant, 2008)

Though I enjoy many of Gus Van Sant's films I've become aware that I find his smaller budget pictures far more intriguing than his larger ones. Within the span of a year Van Sant released two films, the three million dollar budgeted Paranoid Park and the Oscar Nominated hit Milk (2008) starring Sean Penn. As good as Milk is, I find Paranoid Park, like Van Sant's other lower budget pictures Elephant (2003) and Last Days (2005), more impactful. If I made a list expanding to another hundred pictures Milk would surely be included. Paranoid Park is a film about a teenage skate boarder, Alex, who becomes a suspect in the manslaughter killing of a train station security guard. Like Van Sant's Elephant, Paranoid Park uses a collection of unknown teenage actors. I find it odd how one of the main complaints I've heard with both Elephant and Paranoid Park is the portrayal of teenagers in each film, but Van Sant has his amateur actors contribute on their own for authenticity and there are moments in both films that feel to be some of the most honest portrayals of teenagers on film that come to mind.

There are two primary aspects of the film I find extraordinary. One is the photography by the film's director of photography Christopher Doyle. Most notable working on some of the films from Wong Kar Wai like 2046 (2004) and In the Mood for Love (2000) Doyle may be the most visually talented man to stand behind a camera working today. With Paranoid Park he captures some of his best work to date. The skate boarding sequences are especially breathtaking. He uses his cameras to capture images of weightlessness and relaxation in a way that uses the hobby as a release from the struggles and stress plaguing the trouble youths. Rather than just a way to kill time, it shows the sport as a form of therapy.

The film's other primary strength lies with how it explores it's protagonist. Rather than spend time exploring the mystery behind the crime in question the picture focuses on Alex's suspected guilt and reaction to the haunting occurrence. Examining the distinct effect the responsibility of another person's death could have on someone's very soul. Paranoid Park gradually digs deeper into Alex's psyche and moral sensibilities as it investigates what it's like to not only to be a confused teenager not sure of their place, but one with a secret, a dark secret. One that would not only be difficult to reveal to others, but one that even takes fortitude in the first place to approach on your very own.

10 Films of 2008:

9. Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant)
10. Redbelt (David Mamet)