palo alto: movie review

"Barry had done it with her, the girl I loved, and it had meant nothing to him; Tanya would die and no one would care; and there were billions of bodies alive on earth and they would all be buried and ground into dirt; and Picasso was a master at age sixteen and I was a perfect shit.” 

- from the book Palo Alto Stories by James Franco

Gia Coppola's first feature film, Palo Alto, is not here to placate your senses or to restore your faith in teenage-kind, if anything it's goal is to show the aimlessness, careless violence, sexual prowess and discontent that come along with teen life, 100% uninhibited and heightened to the tenth power.

Three major story lines intercept as innocent virgin April (Emma Roberts) has an affair with her much older soccer coach (James Franco), introspective and quietly talented Teddy (newcomer Jack Kilmer) deals with community service for drunk driving and Fred (Nat Wolff), Teddy's volatile best friend reeks havoc on everyone that crosses his path. All of them are lost in some way, struggling with self-identity against the backdrop of white, suburban California.

Palo Alto forgoes the surreal hyperreality of the prototypical teen movie, opting instead for absolute and harsh realism. The audience is meant to be disgusted and unsettled by Fred's brash antagonization of everything, to relate to April's innocence and lust to rid herself of the stigma it holds and to feel sympathetic for troubled Teddy, because we see elements of ourselves in them.

It perfectly captures the aimless frivolity and routine banality of suburban teenage life. I felt like I was watching people I know self-destruct, rather than a film. I became invested in the characters, either because I pitied them, loathed them or admired them. The acting and screenplay were both strong enough that they command your attention and create a connection.

The film has this awareness of itself, as if it's more of a commentary; a glimpse into the lives of these kids. Long, languid scenes, moments of self-reflection littered everywhere and no real beginning, middle or end; a plot-driven narrative this is not. But that's why I think it appealed to me, and the reason for it cementing itself at the forefront of my mind, nearly a week after viewing. There is no Hollywood ending, which is what makes it so refreshing. If you're waiting for a moral to the story, don't waste your time. The movie presents us with many questions but doesn't attempt to patronise us with morally sound answers. 

Of course there are elements of the film that feel pretentious, but that's expected with most "arty", "indie" movies. It does, at times, feel like it's trying too hard, which makes sense considering it's Coppola's first run at this movie-making thing. Also, which teenager do you know who doesn't try too hard? 

Also, parts of the movie feel unnecessary dragged out and with a 100 minute running time, it feels much longer. My friends and I recall feeling slightly dazed and somewhat intoxicated after leaving the theatre.

The score, masterfully crafted by Dev Hynes, who you may know as Blood Orange, captured the wanton feeling of the film and heightened the airy aspect of the cinematography. Sometimes a movie is ruined by it's score and sometimes the movie doesn't do the score justice, but in this case all was in perfect tandem. Honestly, you could see this movie solely for the music and not be disappointed at all.

Here's one of the songs, released on Dev's soundcloud:

xx kels xx