After having a little wander around the internet, I realised that Palo Alto has come under a lot of criticism, mainly for its somewhat vapid depiction of teenagers and its drifting plot. I, however, think that's the charm. The teenagers in the film are exactly that: people crossing the unstable and aimless bridge bridge between childhood and being a young adult; experiencing their first everything and allowing themselves to be consumed by the most seemingly unimportant aspects of their lives. The weightless plot furthers this idea and captures that sense of how significant moments and significant people float out of the teenagers' lives as quietly as as quickly as they float in. Maybe the adults behind Palo Alto's criticisms are simply writing with a strong, jealous sense of nostalgia for those long-lost years.
Palo Alto is based on a collection of short stories written by James Franco and is centred around 4 specific characters and the way in which their lives interweave. The first is April - she is an introverted character with a distant and detached family, a somewhat poetic smoking habit and an inappropriate relationship with her soccer coach (Franco) borne out of her distinct lack of attention and established worth elsewhere in her life. She is also incredibly set apart from her friends because of their destructive and competitive attempts at friendship. Next comes Teddy, the similarly introverted love interest of April with an unfortunate tendency to release his emotions through alcohol, drugs and wild mistakes, despite his caring nature. Teddy's closest friend is the unstable and unpredictable Fred. Fred is an incredibly interesting character because he seems to have a series of layers in his personality. The brash and careless yet fun layer, the violent, cruel sad and manipulative layer beneath that and, finally, the rarely-seen layer of sadness and fear. There is someone like Fred in every friendship group you might come across. The fourth character is the less featured Emily who is disregarded and abandoned throughout the whole film by many characters due to her sexual reputation but pensive shots give the insight into her loneliness and sadness.
Whilst Palo Alto's ending is stunning in every sense of the word and there are some really thought-provoking parallels in the film, I'd have to say that my favourite part is the 10 minute long party scene close to the start. It kick-starts through Palo Alto's fog and it makes use of a really dreamy and surreal soundtrack. The first shots in the part are of April's "friends" playing 'never have I ever', where they all find distorted pleasure in embarrassing each other through a series of incredibly specific 'never have I evers'. April is physically and emotionally distant from them and can be seen wandering through the party aimlessly with a slight air of boredom and discontent. She sits next to Teddy, who lights a cigarette for her, whilst Fred is sprawled on the floor drinking out of a vase. Despite Fred's melodramatic disapproval of April's company, the three decide to leave the party for a while in such a way that furthers the "outsider" focus of the film, screaming out that teen angst/not like other teenagers attitude. It is a wonderful blend of both 'absorbing' and 'cliche'.
The three run past the game of 'never have I ever' as our 4th character, Emily, claims 'I've never been in love'. Using a lampshade as a megaphone, yet speaking calmly, Fred responds to her statement with 'I think that's bullshit', before the three continue to run past in a lethargic yet fleeting movement. They run outside, laughing, as Fred yells 'I stole your lampshade'.
They run through
faint rain in slow motion and Teddy reaches out to take April's hand in a moment that really drives their fluctuating love forward. Passing time in a graveyard and carving hearts into trees, the three of them smoke and exchange vaguely painful overly-profound comments whilst the party begins to become out of control. When they finally return, the film's soundtrack kicks in even more and consumes the on-screen action whilst the three are instantly separated from the moment they walk through the door. From this point onwards, cue a series of preoccupied and subtly anguished gazes from April and Teddy as they watch each other find drunken comfort in other people and cue Fred hinting at his hidden emotional depth as he sings and plays the piano. A lovely little detail in the film is the nameless teenage boy leaning at the bottom of the staircase in a heavy, drunken mess. The entire party scene is thoughtful and explorative, very pitiful and all so consuming.
The film is incredibly interesting in many other ways, especially with such a controversial and inappropriate relationship between April and the soccer coach and the way her character has an emphasised air of youth around him. April's superficial and insecure friends are another point of interest, as well as her preoccupied mother and Fred's father's ambiguous sexuality and inappropriate actions. As well as having so many aspects that can be explored deeply, the film's cinematography is beautiful and surreal and it really mirrors the narrative.
Palo Alto is a striking film, but not one for people who are bored easily because the empty, lethargic and aimless atmosphere of Palo Alto is its beauty.
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