Anyone who watches more than one Gus Van Sant movie quickly comes to realize that the director has a distinct "style" that one either is intrigued by or dislikes. Having seen several of Van Sant's movies, I was looking forward to Paranoid Park. Since the plot summary is readily available elsewhere on IMDb I'll skip it and get right to the comments...
This movie is filmed in an "artsy" style. At times, we have a closeup of the main character who is carrying on a conversation with another character who we don't see. At other times, the movie has a "stoned" feel as if the character is high. At other times, we see a conversation being held between two characters yet we don't hear the spoken words. Again, it's "artsy". the main character spends most of the movie in a state of "numbness" which is appropriate given the material. When the movie ended, I reacted the same way that I reacted to several other Van Sant films...which was by saying "and...?" In Paranoid Park, Van Sant puts far more closure on the story than in many of his other films. But Van Sant's characters are complex and the closure only relates to part of their complexity.
I have to say I liked these people. They were intelligent, cared about each other, and seemed very real. I'd be happy to have any of them as my friend. That's a rarity in movies these days where teenagers are depicted and I have to give Van Sant credit for the way that the characters come across.
So, to sum up... If you like Van Sant films, you'll like this one. For those who haven't seen a Van Sant film, I'd say give it a chance. Good Will Hunting is probably the movie by Van Sant that has the broadest appeal. But Paranoid Park seems the most real.
This movie is filmed in an "artsy" style. At times, we have a closeup of the main character who is carrying on a conversation with another character who we don't see. At other times, the movie has a "stoned" feel as if the character is high. At other times, we see a conversation being held between two characters yet we don't hear the spoken words. Again, it's "artsy". the main character spends most of the movie in a state of "numbness" which is appropriate given the material. When the movie ended, I reacted the same way that I reacted to several other Van Sant films...which was by saying "and...?" In Paranoid Park, Van Sant puts far more closure on the story than in many of his other films. But Van Sant's characters are complex and the closure only relates to part of their complexity.
I have to say I liked these people. They were intelligent, cared about each other, and seemed very real. I'd be happy to have any of them as my friend. That's a rarity in movies these days where teenagers are depicted and I have to give Van Sant credit for the way that the characters come across.
So, to sum up... If you like Van Sant films, you'll like this one. For those who haven't seen a Van Sant film, I'd say give it a chance. Good Will Hunting is probably the movie by Van Sant that has the broadest appeal. But Paranoid Park seems the most real.