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Paranoid Park:
Here’s a compelling new film
Apr 3, 2008
by MARK SCHUMANN
Father of Three
As parents, we fear a child’s silence more than, perhaps, any other experience. Those hollow moments when, for any number of reasons, a child simply does not want to communicate, has no interest in sharing, is not willing to reveal. We can get over the silence. What we fear about these moments is what’s going on that we don’t know.
In Gus Van Zant’s piercing new film, Paranoid Park, Alex is a high school student who keeps a lot inside. He keeps within himself his fears about the intimacy of his relationship with his girlfriend. He maintains a distance from his parents who are going through a divorce. And he retains a mystery about a special corner of his life reserved for his passion for skateboarding. Only when he skates — which, actually, he doesn’t do all that well — does Alex feel alive and free. Simply walking the hallways and streets, however, he is decidedly uncomfortable.
Alex’s passion for skating leads him to a forbidden zone of teenage experience, a skateboard park simply — and appropriately — called Paranoid Park. On screen it is merely a skateboard park filled with kids who share the passion for skating. In his search for experience, however, Paranoid Park becomes an invitation to explore dark sides of life that Alex has only imagined. While we never precisely know what happens during this journey, we deeply experience how it impacts his life, when a tragedy accidentally occurs.
Paranoid Park is a coming-of-age movie for this time just as, in the 1950s, Rebel Without a Cause articulated the passions of an earlier generation. What’s striking this time around, as in last year’s mega hit, Juno, is that the teenagers are permitted to be themselves, and are not creations of much older filmmakers. Alex is a boy who cries for clarity in his life. In a particularly powerful scene, we see him trying to talk with his estranged father. While the camera remains sharply focused on Alex, the image of the father remains out of focus in the near distance, a striking illustration of the relationship we observe.
Such insight into youth is typical of the Van Zant magic we have experienced in My Own Private Idaho and Goodwill Hunting. The director creates a complete world in which his characters live while his use of various film stocks and other digital methods gives the film a youthful edge. Most important, he never seems to judge his characters, simply letting them “be” as they try to make sense of a world that spins by too fast. The cast is uniformly strong, especially Gabe Nevins as Alex. With his deep eyes, and face filled with expression, he brings teenage anxiety to life, always focusing more on what’s brewing inside than what he expresses on the outside.
Paranoid Park should be a wake-up call to parents to remind us that, no matter how busy we are, or how consumed we become with day-to-day life, or what else may be going on in our lives, we have a fundamental obligation to get inside what our kids are thinking. It’s not always easy and, at times, they resist our efforts, but they need our support as they search for their lives. And that journey, as we see here, can be very lonely.
Paranoid Park portrays a slice of teenage life we may not experience every day. At times this portrayal is a bit coarse, at other times a bit disturbing to view, and at all times it is rewarding and revealing. Rated R, it is appropriate for parents to watch with their teenagers as, hopefully, a way to initiate discussion about what’s going on in their lives.
Film Nutritional Value:
Paranoid Park
* Content: High. The film will interest anyone who wants to learn more about the challenges teenagers face to find their grounding in an always shifting world.
* Entertainment: High. Despite its serious subject matter, the humanity of the film makes it naturally entertaining, and it moves quickly.
* Message: High. The film delivers a strong message on importance of love and care and stability in all situations.
* Relevance: High. Anyone who has raised, is raising or will raise teenagers will learn a few things from watching this, at times, disturbing film.
* Opportunity for Dialogue: High. There is a great deal to think about, and talk about, after watching this film. Sharing it together can be a meaningful experience.
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