Paranoid Park

Since kicking off an entirely new phase in his career with Gerry several years ago, Gus Van Sant has essentially devoted himself exclusively to increasingly experimental and downright esoteric efforts. Paranoid Park is certainly the filmmaker’s most inaccessible effort to date, as the movie, which is chock full of all his expected stylistic quirks, including long tracking shots of people walking, ultimately feels as though it’s about 20 minutes worth off story stretched out to fill a 90 minute running time. The non-linear plot, which essentially revolves around a skateboarding teen who may or may not be involved in a murder, has been padded out with slow motion and instances of repetition, and while there is admittedly something initially mesmerizing about the whole thing, there does reach a point at which the viewer begins to long for something more concrete. That the central character is never made out to be an entirely interesting figure certainly doesn’t help matters, though actor first-time actor Gabe Nevins acquits himself nicely with a surprisingly effective portrayal. The bottom line, however, is that Paranoid Park has clearly been designed to appeal solely to Van Sant’s devotees, as few concessions have been made for neophytes to his particular brand of filmmaking.

** out of ****