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Wonderful character development!

Captivating movie !

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Blistering performances.

Alex is skateboarding kid in Portland. His parents are separated and getting divorced. His girlfriend is Jennifer (Taylor Momsen). He and his friend Jared start hanging out at Paranoid Park, a skate park set up by street kids. There is a death at the rail tracks. A security guard is possibly murdered and a skateboard is found. Detective Richard Lu is at the school interviewing the kids.Gus Van Sant delivers another quiet film of youth disenfranchisement. The actors are almost entirely unknown amateurs. The story is fairly basic. The central mystery is pretty straight forward. The dialog is casual. Visually, it looks beautiful. There are long uncut scenes with music. My problem with some of those scenes is the music. It is often old soft music. It takes away from the intensity and it doesn't fit the kids in the movie. Maybe Gus is trying to make a fanciful fable with the music. I don't think the music selection works.

Gus Van Sant does it again, although it took me a while to get into the film. But the combining of some classical ditties en peculiar shots and close-ups and the (crime) story, including a gruesome horror scene filmed from above, reminded me of good old Hitchcock, more specifically 'Psycho' (1960)... an actual shower scene can be no coincidence then, right? Well, we all knew how big a fan Van Sant was of that film.Furthermore, there's an extraordinary and fun choice of songs ('I can help' by Billy Swan, for instance), a series of 'hallway'-scenes reminiscent of Van Sant's earlier 'Elephant' (2003) and a fine build-up through an ingenious play with time and that notebook that keeps popping up everywhere.Unfortunately, I wasn't very much convinced by the acting, Gabe Nevins would seem more in place as a poster-boy for some big jeans brand or something. It was mostly the talent of Van Sant which I enjoyed here.A solid 7 out of 10.

I remember driving to the cinema on my skateboard. I was then in the middle of a stage called 'growing up' and I was incredibly joyful that I will be able to watch a movie that is, at some point, connected to my passion. And even though skateboarding isn't obviously the main topic of the film I recall that I really enjoyed it, despite the fact that I maybe wasn't fully able to feel what Alex, the protagonist, felt throughout his uneasy adventure. Some years have passed. The passion is now gone, but the fascination with this film is still somewhere in my head. Mostly because it's the same Gus van Sant, who brought us the amazing My Own Private Idaho.Paranoid Park is a true coming of age story, which intersects with an investigation of a horrible crime that occurred somewhere on the way. We embark on a journey along with Alex, as he tries to cope with problems at home (divorce of his parents) and also with his sexuality (strong sexual tension coming from his girlfriend, Jennifer). At the same time he is being eaten alive by the guilt of what had happened on that one terrible night near the railroad tracks. The reminiscence of the accident and brutal, yet highly accidental, murder won't let him sleep. He wanders around town at night. In order to let go of the past, he starts to write about this terrible experience.Gabe Nevins gave a very decent performance in his first career role. The viewer is able to feel the pain and great fear coming out right of his eyes. This troubled teenager has already a very large bargain on his shoulders, considering his young age. The way, in which he attempts to deal with all the problems, may not be the smartest (like lying about the whole situation to the police investigator), but at least he is trying to fight with the world crashing over his head.The use of various camera effects gives the movie a fantastic vintage feel. Various slow motions sequences and recurring nostalgic and dream-like scenes create a very emotional atmosphere overall. The movie has some slightly boring parts, but because of the soundtrack, which beautifully interacts with the main storyline - at one moment builds the harmony, just to destroy it a few minutes later – all of them seem actually vital.In the end, I should mention the scenes, which caused the most joy at the time I watched it for the first time – teens skating around town, like nothing else matters. That's what I wanted to do then. And even though I know that the movie bears a very serious message to all of us, I also feel that it has this special thing that once caught this boy's attention and made him foolishly assume that being a passionate skater meant being free from all the world's problems.

Often when directors become big and famous, they'll lament about having to sacrifice personal projects for the 'big blockbuster,' as if that was some excuse for selling out (*cough*GeorgeLucas*cough*). That's why I have a lot of respect for Gus van Sant, a guy who struck a chord with audiences and critics alike in the late 90s, but flew completely under the radar afterward, writing and directing films that he felt were significant to him. "Paranoid Park" is a perfect example of that - a sort of skater-crime-drama about a kid who is accidentally responsible for the death of a cop. Fortunately the movie doesn't hinge on plot twists, but focuses on the kid, Alex, and how his life is affected before and after. The film is spliced with what looks to be home videos of skateboard footage and is topped off with new and young actors, giving the whole movie an amateur vibe. This turns out to be an advantage - there's nothing that complements the confusion that comes with being a teenager as well as a sense of authenticity. Overall, the movie doesn't pack as much of a punch as "Elephant," or isn't as absorbing as "Gerry," but is likely to stay with you and keep you wondering, "what if that was me?"