Ken Park (2002)

It's about several Californian skateboarder's life and relationships with and without their parents.

Directors:

Larry Clark, Edward Lachman

Writers:

Harmony Korine (screenplay), Larry Clark (based on stories and characters by)

Stars:

Adam Chubbuck, James Bullard, Seth Gray

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Chubbuck	...	Ken Park
James Bullard	...	Shawn
Seth Gray	...	Shawn's Brother
Eddie Daniels	...	Shawn's Mother
Zara McDowell	...	Zoe (as Zara Mcdowell)
Maeve Quinlan	...	Rhonda
Stephen Jasso	...	Claude
Wade Williams	...	Claude's Father (as Wade Andrew Williams)
Tiffany Limos	...	Peaches
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Peaches' Father (as Julio Oscar Mochoso)
James Ransone	...	Tate
Patricia Place	...	Tate's Grandmother
Amanda Plummer	...	Claude's Mother
Mike Apaletegui	...	Curtis
Harrison Young	...	Tate's Grandfather

Storyline

Ken Park focuses on several teenagers and their tormented home lives. Shawn seems to be the most conventional. Tate is brimming with psychotic rage; Claude is habitually harassed by his brutish father and coddled, rather uncomfortably, by his enormously pregnant mother. Peaches looks after her devoutly religious father, but yearns for freedom. They're all rather tight, or so they claim. But they spend precious little time together and none of them seems to know much about one another's family lives. This bizarre dichotomy underscores their alienation # the result of suburban ennui, a teenager's inherent sense of melodrama, and the disturbing nature of their home environments.

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Plot Keywords:

teenager | skateboarder | sex | california | alcoholic father | 

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Taglines:

Who are you?

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace Official site

Country:

USA Netherlands France

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 2003 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Ken Park - Quem és Tu?

Filming Locations:

San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,135 (Hong Kong) (13 June 2003)

Gross:

$54,550 (Hong Kong) (11 July 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Busy Bee Productions, Cinéa, Kasander Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 98 min (Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot on 35mm film, but the deal made with the $1.3 million budget stated it would be shot on video.

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Quotes

Peaches' Father: Peaches is such a good girl.

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Crazy Credits

The letter K is shown backwards in the credits, except in the first word of the film's title.

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Connections

References Diff'rent Strokes (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues"
Written by Danny O'Keefe
Performed by Jerry Lee Lewis
Published by Warner/Chappell Music Inc.
Courtesy of Warner Brothers

User Reviews

Stunning Realism

This is a film about relationships. My congratulations to the people responsible for making this film because I've never seen anything remotely like it. Not even "Kids". Shocking, gripping, honest, mature, in-your-face. "Ken Park" is the first film made that takes us into the world of American families to show us what really goes on. Life is not all sweet and charming even though we might wish it to be. Movies don't have to be sappy and happy. There don't have to be car chases and killings, cops and good-guys and bad-guys. To those viewers raised on soap operas and "Friends", turn away because you won't find this film funny.

A shocker for sure...banned in most countries tells you a lot about it. When I see that it makes me WANT to see it. The sex is totally credible. You don't have actors grabbing for sheets or towels to cover up their bodies--hey just like real life!! The scenes are tense, the technical side perfect. You are going to be exposed to some troubled people and they're not only kids. Adults are having a hell of a time getting through life too. Some want a lot more than the 2 point 3 kids and a white picket-fence house in the 'burbs. They long for illicit sex. But look for more, you'll find it in this film. These are characters disturbed by life and not able to function, exactly like your friends and co-workers and neighbors. Lots of people stumble through life and don't have a clue how to behave, how to be loving or tender. Relationships with some people are constant conflicts which they don't even understand themselves. This film shows us some. The sad part is most people don't even realize how screwed up their lives are.

I'm not going to review the plot. You just have to see it yourself and form your own views. Because films have to be seen---that's the art form. I'd also like to congratulate and thank everyone involved in this production for having the courage to give us something worthwhile. In the 1930's there was a film movement called surrealism which was designed to shock people. It did, but today we don't get much shock value out of those old films. "Ken Park" isn't surreal, but it really does shock...maybe it's "hyper-realism". So real you feel totally nervous, never knowing what you are going to see next. All the green-screen and digital video effects dished out by Hollywood can't compare to the plain, good, unselfconscious acting and direction. Every character gets my "Oscar" and the direction and camera-work are so incredible they defy description. Whoever wrote the script knows how to write. Kids aren't as verbal as a lot of movies make them out to be. That lack of dialogue is what always distinguishes a great film for me. I'm not a big fan of voice- over to make plot points, but this film is so outstanding in so many ways the short bits of narration do not diminish it. Great work all around but if you grew up on "Disney" forget it.