In the wake of "Elephant" (2003) and "Last Days" (2005), Gus Van Sant confirms his fascination with the alienated youth of America with his recent adaptation of Blake Nelson's novel, "Paranoid Park." The writer/director depicts a slice of teenage life in the suburban wasteland surrounding Portland, Ore.
The visually pleasing cinematography and dreamy soundtrack lend the dreary landscape of the Northwest an enchanting sense of lyricism. The poor script and even worse acting, however, weigh down the otherwise compelling plotline.
Alex (played by Gabe Nevins), a reserved and soft-spoken adolescent, spends most of his time skateboarding and aimlessly driving around with his friends - anything to escape the oppressive gloom of his broken home. His neglectful parents have recently split up, thrusting him into the middle of a bitter divorce. He seeks refuge in the underground world of "train-hoppers, guitar-punks, skate-drunks, throwaway-kids" and other hyphenated hipster types who hang out in the infamous Paranoid Park.
One day, police detective Richard Lu (played by Daniel Liu) shows up at Alex's high school and calls him in for questioning. A railroad security guard was apparently murdered within miles of Alex's beloved skatepark, but Alex denies any involvement in the crime. "Paranoid Park" offers an introspective look into the mind of its young protagonist as he slowly comes to terms with his guilt and remorse by writing down his traumatic experience in a journal.
The first half of the movie works wonderfully because of its effective mix of the suspense and coming-of-age genres. The interrogation scene between Alex and Detective Lu establishes the main source of tension that drives the plot forward. The film avoids clichés by veering away from the tired murder mystery formula and concentrating on Alex's more candid story.
Unfortunately, the movie climaxes prematurely and the entire second half drags on without direction. The well-paced writing loses its structure and edge as Alex's vapid conversations with his teenage friends become the film's new focus. Van Sant makes the mistake of developing the protagonist's dull relationship with his girlfriend Jenny (Taylor Momsen) and best friend and confidante Macy (Lauren McKinney).
The fact that the director cast a majority of first-time actors, a technique that worked much better in "Elephant," makes the already boring dialogue completely unbearable. Gabe Nevins pulls off a pretty solid performance, but Momsen and McKinney have no presence or talent. To the cast's credit, most actors would probably have a hard time making Van Sant's stale supporting roles even remotely interesting.
Liu is the only newcomer whose performance consistently lights up the screen. He nails his role as the rough-edged cop who knows nothing about Alex's detached generation. It's too bad his part is so small.
The filmmaker lazily relies on drawn-out slow-motion sequences and unnecessary skateboarding footage to compensate for the sudden lack of substance. The camera frequently zooms in on the characters' faces for excruciatingly long and pointless close-ups.
Yet Van Sant does succeed in creating a trance-like mood. The impeccable production value achieves an atmosphere of lethargic beauty that plunges the viewer into Alex's blasé world. Neil Kopp produced the critically-acclaimed indie flick "Old Joy" (2006), about two friends who reunite for a camping trip in Oregon, before working with Van Sant on "Paranoid Park." He clearly knows how to capture the strangely endearing quality of the location's glumness. The grayish-blue colors of the graffiti-covered concrete playgrounds and cloud-soaked skies paint a dismal picture of suburbia.
Christopher Doyle, the director of photography behind Hero (2002) and most of the Wong Kar-wai movies, strikes a unique balance between amateur and professional camera work. The low-angle shots of the skatepark from shaky hand-held cameras brilliantly emulate the sensation of riding a half-pipe. Meanwhile, the gorgeous tracking shots down the hallway of the typical American high school give the film a much-needed air of sophistication. Still, even the sweetest eye candy loses taste if the story derails.
The movie kicks off with an intriguing crime and punishment narrative that sadly falls apart around the midway mark. What follows is a superficial and pretentious exercise in style. "Paranoid Park" is no masterpiece; at best, it's a good yawn.
