KEN PARK
US, 2002, 96 minutes, Colour.
James Ransone, Tiffany Limos, Steven Jasso, James Bullard, Mike Apaletegui, Wade Andrew Williams, Amanda Plummer, Maeve Quinlan.
Directed by Larry Clark and Ed Lachman.
Ken Park was directed by photographers Larry Clark and Ed Lachman. Clark had a career as a publisher of books of photographs and moved into films with the 1996 film Kids. It raised a great deal of controversy in its frank and graphic portrayal of twenty-four hours of the lives of middle-class adolescents in New York City, especially focusing on drug-taking and sexual activity. The parents were absent. He then made a more commercial film, Another Day in Paradise with Melanie Griffith and James Woods. His 2001 film, Bully, returned to themes of adolescence. This time the setting was Miami, once again the young people and their drug-taking, sexual relationships and, something new, the move into violence and premeditated murder. This time there were parents in the film, though they seemed to have very little awareness of what their children were doing. With Ken Park he also focuses on sexual relationships. Parents are present, much more to the fore in this film - and many of them seem as irresponsible and even more irresponsible than their children. While the message is strong, Clark and Lachman's treatment of the subject is frankly explicit, more along the lines of hardcore pornography than suggested activity. This makes the film very difficult to get by censors' boards in many countries and the film would have very limited release. It was seen on the festival circuit.
Ed Lachman is a celebrated cinematographer and won a prize at the Venice Film Festival 2002 for his work on Far From Heaven, the same festival which screened Ken Park.
The film takes its place in the canon of Clark's work and his influence on American and independent cinema with his themes exploring the lives of adolescents and the explicit presentation of sexuality on screen.
1. The work of Ken Clark and Ed Lachmann? As photographers, published books, drama, cinematographers? Preoccupation with teenagers and problems, cities and suburbs, society of the late 20th century, early 21st century, dysfunctional teenagers, coping or not? The role of education, parenting, relationships, sexuality, drugs? Parents?
2. Versalia, the credits and the camera going along the street, showing the houses, the interiors, the streets and the skateboard world?
3. The musical score, television and the sex advertisements, the videos? Jerry Springer programs, the frankness of the language, the themes, the fighting on television? Media world models?
4. The sex scenes, their explicit nature, purpose, shock value, real, the behaviour of ordinary people behind closed doors? Prurient in style or not? Over-dwelling on them? The age of the performers and problems? Censorship and the film not being able to be seen by young viewers?
5. The title, Ken Park, his name backwards? Sean's voice-over? Seeing him skateboarding, an ordinary boy, the schoolyard, shooting himself? Seeing him at the end, talking, the pregnant girlfriend, her asking him about an abortion and whether it would have been better had he been aborted? The extreme pessimism of this ending?
6. The photo of the group, the introductions to each, the voice-over of praise and blame for each?
7. Sean, the interaction with his brother, neglect of his mother, refusing her a cigarette? The sexual relationship with Rhonda in her house, passing the little girl watching the video? His age and her age? His comparing himself with her husband? Talk about love, fidelity, sex? Talk about his relationship with Hannah? The mother talking about her daughter's sexual life? The seeming ordinariness of the home, the domestic scenes with Bob returning, talking about the dry-cleaning? The invitation to Sean to come to dinner, the ironies of the relationship, especially the discussions at the table? Rhonda, her age, the motivation for the relationship with Sean? Bob and his background of sport, work? The little girl, her saying "no", watching the television, the videos, the Barbie doll? Hannah and her relationship with Sean, a seemingly nice young teenager?
8. Claude and his father weightlifting, pressuring Claude, his father rejecting him, the faggot language? Claude and his skateboard, his father breaking it? His wanting to leave home, his pregnant mother trying to stop him? The mother and father watching Jerry Springer and talking about Claude? He with his friends and the drug-taking talking about his parents? The father and his drinking, going out in the car with his friend from work, chatting up the prostitute, Claude on the phone, the night alone, going to bed, his father arriving, at the toilet, while drinking the beer? His father looking at his wife, going to his son, fondling him, the beginning of the abuse? Claude waking? Leaving home?
9. Tate and people's comments about his madness, at work and at home, his attitude towards the dog, brutalising the dog? His grandmother trying to bring him food, his rudeness to her and ousting her? His criticisms of her passive aggression and her reluctance to leave the room? The asphyxiation masturbation sequence and its effect on him? Playing Scrabble, complaining that his grandfather cheated, his complete anger and egotism? The grandparents playing tennis, their love for each other, in bed? Tate and his stripping, tabbing them to death in the bed, describing his experience, not wanting any blood on his clothes? The police taking him away?
10. The girl and her father, his reading the Bible, the quotations from the Apocalypse, religious mania, his grief for his wife's death, his love for his daughter, the meal, telling her about the message of Curtis coming, Curtis at the meal, looking at his teeth and the scars, bringing in the photo album, talking about his wife? Curtis and his relationship with the girl? The father going to the cemetery to grieve, Curtis and the girl in bed, the sexual behaviour, the father finding them, bashing Curtis, bashing his daughter? Getting at his wife's wedding dress, making his daughter wear it, re-enacting the marriage ceremony, quoting the Scriptures to her, especially the Apocalypse and the Whore of Babylon?
11. The ending, the girl with Claude and Sean, the sexual behaviour, talk - knowing and yet ignorant? Potential for a future?
12. The film as a moral fable for parents, for children, for an individualistic and hedonistic age? The contrast with the past when these questions were not spoken about? The present when all issues are in the public arena?
