Gus Van Sant gets Paranoid at the Ken

Fresh off of his "death trilogy" of Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days, Gus Van Sant, who made his name with the great Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho, continues to explore the theme of youth and death with this adaption of Blake Nelson's novel, Paranoid Park. Shot entirely in Van Sant's hometown of Portland, Oregon, the film focuses on Alex, played by Gabe Nevins, a non-actor Van Sant found while scouting, who is partly responsible for the death of security guard near the skate park he frequents. From there we see how Alex is unable to really deal with his involvement in the death as he tries to suppress his guilt and anguish in a world of adults who don't necessarily know how to deal with their own inner emotions. Lovingly shot by Christopher Doyle, Wong Kar-Wai's normal go-to DP and one of the best in the world, Paranoid Park has been getting rave reviews, such as this one:

http://www.avclub.com/content/cinema/paranoid_park

Here's the trailer, and make sure to catch it at the Ken Cinema this week. There's a chance it might carry over for another week or so, but you never know.



And here's a clip:



--CO