Ken Park

Last updated

Ken Park
Ken Park.jpg
German festival release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by Harmony Korine
Based onstories and journals by Larry Clark [1]
Produced by
  • Kees Kasander
  • Jean-Louis Piel
Starring
Cinematography
  • Larry Clark
  • Ed Lachman
Edited by Andrew Hafitz
Production
companies
  • The Kasander Film Company
  • Cinéa
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 31, 2002 (2002-08-31)(Telluride)
  • September 10, 2002 (2002-09-10)(Toronto)
  • April 3, 2003 (2003-04-03)(Netherlands)
  • October 8, 2003 (2003-10-08)(France)
Running time
93 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Netherlands
France
LanguageEnglish

Ken Park is a 2002 erotic drama film directed by Larry Clark and Edward Lachman. [2] Set in the city of Visalia, California, it revolves around the abusive and dysfunctional lives of four teenagers following the suicide of their mutual acquaintance, the eponymous Ken Park. It was written by Harmony Korine, who based it on Clark's journals and stories. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 10, 2002, but has not been officially shown in the United States since. It was also banned in Australia due to its content.

Contents

Plot

The title character Ken Park (nicknamed "Krap Nek": his name spelled and pronounced backward), is a teenager skateboarding across Visalia, California. He arrives at a skate park, where he casually sets up a camcorder, smiles, and shoots himself in the temple with a handgun. His death is used to bookend the film, which follows the lives of four other teenagers who knew him.

Shawn is the most stable of the four main characters. Throughout the story, he has an ongoing sexual relationship with his girlfriend's mother Rhonda, whom he tells that he fantasizes about being with while having sex with her daughter, Hannah. He casually socializes with their family, the rest of whom are completely unaware of the affair.

Claude fends off physical and emotional abuse from his alcoholic father, who detests him for not being masculine enough, all while he tries to care for his pregnant mother, who makes little to no attempt at defending him. However, after coming home drunk one night, he attempts to perform oral sex on Claude, prompting the boy to run away from home.

Peaches is a girl who lives alone with her obsessive and highly-religious father, who fixates on her as the innocent embodiment of her deceased mother. When he catches her having sex with her boyfriend Curtis – whom she has playfully tied to her bed – he beats the boy and savagely disciplines her, then forces her to participate in a quasi-incestuous wedding ritual with him.

Tate is an unstable and sadistic adolescent living with his grandparents, whom he resents and abuses verbally. He engages in autoerotic asphyxiation while masturbating to a video of a woman playing tennis. He eventually kills his grandparents, in retaliation for petty grievances, and finds that it arouses him sexually. He records himself on his tape recorder so that the police will know how and why he did it, puts his grandfather's dentures in his mouth, lies naked in his bed, and falls asleep; eventually being found and promptly arrested.

The film cuts frequently between these subplots, with no overlap of characters or events until the end, when Shawn, Claude, and Peaches meet and have a threesome. In a game of "who am I?" afterward, they refer to an unnamed person they know who is now dead. The film cuts to a title screen, followed by a flashback to before the opening scene. Ken has impregnated his girlfriend and taken a menial job. At the skate park, they discuss whether to abort the pregnancy, and she asks Ken rhetorically if he is glad his mother did not abort him; he does not answer.

Cast

Production

Clark attempted to write the first script for Ken Park, basing it on personal experiences and people with whom he had grown up. [3] [4] Dissatisfied with his own draft, he hired Harmony Korine to pen the screenplay.

Korine explained the writing of the film in a 2005 interview:

"Ken Park was written right after Kids , before we had gotten the financing for Kids. Larry Clark realized I could write pretty well and that I understood a certain type of vernacular, the teenage vernacular. So he wrote down five things he wanted to see on a napkin in red ink. [...] They were things that he wanted to see. Five images that he wanted to see, and with those images he wanted me to construct a basic narrative, like a certain kind of narrative. I wasn't interested in telling a kind of elliptical narrative, I wanted to deconstruct some stories. At that point, it was written literally right after I wrote Kids." [5]

Clark ultimately used most of Korine's script, but rewrote the ending.[ citation needed ] The arrangement was to film using digital video, but Clark and Lachman used 35mm film instead. [6] [7]

Distribution

Although it was sold for distribution to some 30 countries, [8] the film was not shown in the United Kingdom after director Larry Clark assaulted Hamish McAlpine, the head of the UK distributor for the film, Metro-Tartan. Clark alleged that McAlpine had said the September 11 attacks were "the best thing to ever happened to America" and that Israeli victims of Palestinian suicide bombers "deserved to die." McAlpine denied the accusations. Clark was arrested and spent several hours in custody, and McAlpine was left with a broken nose. [9] [10] The film has not been released in the United States since its initial showing at the Telluride Film Festival in 2002. Clark says that this is because of the producer's failure to get copyright releases for the music used. [11] The film was banned in Australia due to its graphic sexual content and portrayals of underage sexual activity after it was refused a classification by the Australian Classification Board in 2003. [12] A protest screening held in Sydney, hosted by film critic Margaret Pomeranz, was shut down by the police. [13]

Critical reception

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 46% approval rating with an average score of 4.80/10 based on 13 reviews. [14] Ed Gonzales of Slant Magazine noted some redeeming elements in an "otherwise familiar Kids procedural" in which "the parents are all monsters of some kind and there's an excuse for every teenager's bad behavior". [15] Rob Gonsalves of eFilmCritic, wrote that the film "is about people lost in a haze of contempt and despair, trying to wrest some love or relief out of the situation." [16] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter described it as "a ragingly controversial feature that makes it very tricky to distinguish between insightful and incite-ful." [17] Todd McCarthy of Variety described it as "Beautifully crafted but emotionally dispiriting and alienating in its insistence on spotlighting only the negative aspects of life". [1] Lee Marshall of Screen Daily wrote that "Clark, being Clark, pushes things a little too far; so a not entirely constructive tension is set up between the need to show and the desire to shock." [18]

Soundtrack

  1. Bouncing Souls – "Lamar Vannoy"
  2. Rancid – "Antennas"
  3. Gary Stewart – "Out of Hand"
  4. Tha Alkaholiks – "Likwit"
  5. KMD – "What a Nigga Know"
  6. Blackalicious – "Deception"
  7. Merle Haggard – "Mom and Dad's Waltz"
  8. Black Star – "Brown Skin Lady"
  9. Jerry Lee Lewis – "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues"
  10. The Roots – "Do You Want More?!!!??!"
  11. Gary Stewart – "Shady Streets"
  12. Quasimoto – "Put a Curse on You"
  13. Hank Ballard – "Henry's Got Flat Feet"
  14. The Shaggs – "Who Are Parents?"

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Clark</span> American writer and director

Lawrence Donald Clark is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for his controversial teen film Kids (1995) and his photography book Tulsa (1971). His work focuses primarily on youth who casually engage in illegal drug use, underage sex, and violence, and who are part of a specific subculture, such as surfing, punk rock, or skateboarding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloë Sevigny</span> American actress (born 1974)

Chloë Stevens Sevigny is an American actress. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award.

<i>Bully</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by Larry Clark

Bully is a 2001 crime drama film directed by Larry Clark, and starring Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, Rachel Miner, Michael Pitt, Leo Fitzpatrick, Daniel Franzese, Kelli Garner, and Nick Stahl. Its plot follows a group of teenagers in South Florida who enact a murder plot against their mutual bully who has emotionally, physically, and sexually abused them for years.

<i>Kids</i> (film) 1995 film by Larry Clark

Kids is a 1995 American drama film directed by Larry Clark in his directorial debut and written by Harmony Korine in his screenwriting debut. It stars Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce and Chloë Sevigny in their film debuts. Fitzpatrick, Pierce, Sevigny, and other newcomers including Rosario Dawson portray a group of teenagers in New York City. They are characterized as hedonists, who engage in sexual acts and substance abuse, over the course of a single day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmony Korine</span> American film director and screenwriter

Harmony Korine is an American filmmaker, actor, photographer, artist, and author. His methods feature an erratic, loose and transgressive aesthetic, exploring taboo themes and incorporating experimental techniques, and works with art, music, fashion and advertising.

<i>Gummo</i> 1997 film by Harmony Korine

Gummo is a 1997 American experimental drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine, and stars Linda Manz, Max Perlich, Jacob Reynolds, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Sewell, and Nick Sutton. The film is set in Xenia, Ohio, a Midwestern American town that had been previously struck by a devastating tornado. The loose narrative follows several main characters who find odd and destructive ways to pass time, interrupted by vignettes depicting other inhabitants of the town.

Tiffany Limos is an American actress known for her role as Peaches in the 2002 film Ken Park. Limos made her acting debut in 2002 with the film Teenage Caveman. By 2003, Limos had also written three scripts. In 2007, Limos was honored at the Cinemanila Film Festival by then-President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Limos also tributed the Cannes Directors' Fortnight at the Cinemanila Film Festival, she honored Olivier Pere the President of the Cannes Directors' Fortnight. Limos and film critic Elvis Mitchell interview Limos in the documentary New York Conversations in 2010.

<i>Shes Too Young</i> 2004 multi-national TV series or program

She's Too Young is an American-Canadian coproduced made-for-TV movie released in 2004, starring Marcia Gay Harden as the mother of a 14-year-old daughter who is involved in sexual acts hidden from her parents. The film deals with the issues of drugs and alcohol, peer pressure, parenting an adolescent, the influence of the sexually-driven media, teen partying, and syphilis. The movie was shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with the school scenes being shot at Halifax West High School.

<i>All Over Me</i> (film) 1997 film by Alex Sichel

All Over Me is a 1997 American teen drama film directed by Alex Sichel and written by her sister, Sylvia Sichel. Alex Sichel received a grant from the Princess Grace Foundation to make a film about the riot grrrl music scene and then asked her sister to collaborate with her.

James "PJ" Finley Ransone III is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of the drama series The Wire, US Marine Corps Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the war drama miniseries Generation Kill (2008), The Deputy in the supernatural horror films Sinister (2012) and Sinister 2 (2015), Chester in Tangerine (2015), the adult Eddie Kaspbrak in It Chapter Two (2019), and Max in The Black Phone (2021).

<i>Wassup Rockers</i> 2005 American film

Wassup Rockers is a 2005 American drama film, written, produced, and directed by Larry Clark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Manz</span> American actress (1961–2020)

Linda Ann Manz was an American actress. She made her feature film debut at age 15 in Terrence Malick's period drama Days of Heaven (1978), playing an adolescent girl growing up in rural Texas in 1916. She followed this with a supporting role in The Wanderers (1979). Manz earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of a troubled teenage girl from a dysfunctional family in Dennis Hopper's drama film Out of the Blue (1980).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Hughes</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Rachel Hughes is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, portrayed by Glenda McKay. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 September 1988 and departed following the character's death on 12 May 1999.

<i>Mister Lonely</i> 2007 film by Harmony Korine

Mister Lonely is a 2007 comedy drama film directed by Harmony Korine and co-written with his brother Avi Korine. It features an ensemble cast of international actors, including Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant, Werner Herzog, James Fox, Anita Pallenberg and Leos Carax. The film follows a Michael Jackson look-alike joining a commune filled with other impersonators as they build a stage to attract people to see them perform. Mister Lonely garnered mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, grossing $393,813 against an $8.2 million budget.

"Umshini wami", also known as "Awuleth' Umshini Wami", is a Nguni language struggle song used formerly by members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the African National Congress during the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa with machine allegedly referencing machine gun. Nowhere in the song is the term "machine gun" used, but the reference is strong. Most recently, the song is identified with the persona of Jacob Zuma, the ex President of South Africa, and is often sung at rallies which involve him and his supporters, including the ANC Youth League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary Woods</span> American film producer

Cary Woods is an American film producer. In addition to producing worldwide blockbusters Scream and Godzilla, Woods also produced the directorial debuts of many notable filmmakers, including: Alexander Payne, Larry Clark, Doug Liman, James Mangold, Harmony Korine, and M. Night Shyamalan.

<i>Trash Humpers</i> 2009 American film by Harmony Korine

Trash Humpers is a 2009 American experimental black comedy horror drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine. Shot on worn VHS home video, the film features a "loser-gang cult-freak collective" engaging in bizarre and destructive behavior on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

<i>Fight Harm</i> American film

Fight Harm is an abandoned project by Harmony Korine filmed in 1999. The premise was to verbally provoke passers-by into a fight. The rules were Korine couldn't throw the first punch and the person confronted had to be bigger than Korine. To Korine, Fight Harm was high-comedy reminiscent of Buster Keaton. "I wanted to push humour to extreme limits to demonstrate that there's a tragic component in everything." Filmed in New York, the project was abandoned following the injuries and arrests Korine faced while shooting.

<i>Ivy wearing a fall, Boston</i> 1973 photograph by Nan Goldin

Ivy wearing a fall, Boston is a 1973 photograph on 35 mm film by the American photographer Nan Goldin. Depicting Goldin’s close friend Ivy with head turned back, it is one of the many black-and-white photographs that Goldin took of her friends between 1972 and 1974. A gelatin silver print measuring 19.875 in x 15.875 in was purchased by Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2002.

<i>The Beach Bum</i> 2019 film directed by Harmony Korine

The Beach Bum is a 2019 American stoner comedy film written and directed by Harmony Korine and starring Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Jimmy Buffett in his final feature film, Zac Efron and Martin Lawrence. The plot follows the adventures of stoner poet Moondog (McConaughey) in and around the Florida Keys as he tries to finish his new novel and fight for the respect of his daughter and his share of his wife's estate after she dies in a car accident.

References

  1. 1 2 McCarthy, Todd (September 6, 2002). "Ken Park". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Ken Park". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Aggressive Behavior". Filmmaker Magazine. 2001. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  4. ↑ Hultkrans, Andrew (May 12, 2008). "The Kids Are Alright". Artforum. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Film/Work Index". www.harmony-korine.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  6. ↑ Macnab, Geoffrey; Swart, Sharon (2013). FilmCraft: Producing (Ebook). Taylor & Francis. ISBN   9781136071171 . Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ken Park". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Police quiz critic after raid". The Age. July 4, 2003. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Larry Clark on Ken Park". BBC Collective. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  10. ↑ Hoggard, Liz (November 17, 2002). "Too much verité..." The Observer. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  11. ↑ "The Nerve Interview: Larry Clark". Nerve. September 20, 2006. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Filmmaker defends the 'real' Ken Park". The Sydney Morning Herald. June 16, 2003. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ "We've arrested this film, say police". The Sydney Morning Herald . July 4, 2003. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Ken Park (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  15. ↑ Gonzalez, Ed (July 30, 2003). "Review: Ken Park". Slant Magazine . Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  16. ↑ Gonsalves, Rob. "Movie Review - Ken Park". www.efilmcritic.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ Rechtshaffen, Michael (October 2, 2002). "Ken Park". The Hollywood Reporter .
  18. ↑ Marshall, Lee (September 6, 2002). "Ken Park". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.