主播大秀

Gus Van Sant's run of films about lithe, disaffected hipsters continues with the slight but poetic Paranoid Park, the tale of Alex, a high-school skateboarder somehow caught up in a grisly death. Artily composed, highly subjective and light on plot - it's still a long way from the mainstream, but well-built suspense and an instinctive feel for teen and skate life keep things ticking over until the paranoia peters out.

The police are interested in Alex from the start; it turns out that the gruesome remains of a security guard were found on a train track near his new hangout, the titular Paranoid skatepark. We flit around in time as Alex, self-consciously narrating, goes about his regular, middle-class, teen life, revealing and covering up his part in the guard's death while silently coping with his guilt and fear of discovery.

"DRIFTS OFF INTO THE EVERYDAY"

The amateur cast - Van Sant reportedly found them via MySpace - are largely excellent, and although Gabe Nevin's blank-slate approach to Alex misfires on occasion, he makes for an intruiging lead. The airy style and disjointed structure reflect Alex's numb, disconnected mind. His passivity - to his divorcing parents, the irrelevance of school, and hassle from his vapid cheerleader girlfriend - takes up most of the running time. Left isolated, the drama of the night at the skatepark drifts off into the everyday; it's a neat idea, but leaves the resolution of a great story dissatifyingly meek.

Paranoid Park is out in the UK on 26th December 2007.