Review - Paranoid Park

In this film directed by Gus Van Sant newbie actor Gabe Nevins plays a skateboarder who is involved in an accidental death of a security guard near the infamous skate park "paranoid park." The film is set in oregon and features an amazing cinematogrophy background. The film has amazing dreamy skate sequences with an outstanding soundtrack to match.


The film does its best work through using a newbie actor who almost feels like he is not acting in the jaded and jagged storyline of the film. The teen experiences such a truamatic event which asks him, if he can really handle the burden of what has been placed before him. Like most of Van Sant's film the answers aren't really given to you and is mainly left up to the viewer.

The dreamy skate sequences, the journal writing or retrospect, the jagged storytelling, and the soundtrack are what made this film for me. A fan of Van Sant's work this film just seem to come together naturally as solid piece of work. The acting comes naturally to all the actors and the film leaves the viewer in a surreal mood.