Ken Park
Encyclopedia
Ken Park is a 2002 drama film. The screenplay was written by Harmony Korine
, who based it on Larry Clark
's journals and stories. The film was directed by Larry Clark and Ed Lachman
.
The film revolves around the abusive
home lives of several teenage skateboarders
and their friends, set in the city of Visalia
, California
.
Shawn: The most stable of the four main characters, Shawn has a strong sexual affair with his girlfriend's mother Rhonda throughout the story. He casually talks and eats with the family, who are unaware of the situation.
Claude: A teen who is almost at the mercy of his violent, alcoholic father while doing his best to take care of his mother. Halfway through the story, his drunken father attempts to give Claude oral sex, which results with him running away from home, which he had previously discussed with his friends.
Peaches: After her highly religious father catches her having sex with her boyfriend, he savagely disciplines her using a religious motive. He sees Peaches as his dead wife; in the end, he forces her to marry him in order to keep her from engaging in any other sexual activities.
Tate: The most savage and unstable of all, Tate lives with his grandparents, and frequently verbally abuses them. Seeing himself as the leader of the household, he brutally stabs his grandfather to death after he supposedly cheated at scrabble, as well as his grandmother for "invading his privacy". He also engages in auto-erotic asphyxiation while masturbating, and admits that after stabbing his grandparents to death, he almost had an erection.
The film jumps between each story throughout the timeline; each opens and is resolved after several intermissions to a different one. Only at the end do the friends meet, where Shawn, Claude and Peaches have a threesome, Tate already being arrested. At the very end, the film finally reveals the true motive behind Ken Park's suicide.
to pen the screenplay. Clark ultimately used most of Korine's script, but rewrote the ending.
The film was given a $1.3 million budget. The arrangement was to film using digital video, but Clark and Lachman instead used 35mm film.
, sexual experimentation, incest
, teenage suicide
and, to a lesser extent, murder. The title "Ken Park" does not refer to a location, but rather to a character in the film, whose death is used as a plot device
at the end of the film. Although never directly stated, Ken Park appears to be set over several days, spanning Friday to Sunday. The plot of Ken Park is non-linear, and often switches between different characters over this time period.
, the film was banned for its graphic sexual content. In response to the ban, a number of protest screenings were held across Australia, at least one of which, infamously attended by Australian film critic Margaret Pomeranz
, was shut down by the police. In most capital cities free underground screenings were held with the information about their location being shared via text the night before.
, the film was first found unsuitable for children younger than 16. After reevaluation, it was later classified as forbidden for those under 18; as a result, the film was withdrawn from wide release.
, the film was not distributed in theatres. On 3 July 2011 at 20.30 h., it was shown on JIM
, a Flemish television channel aimed at people aged between 15 and 24. The channel was later fined 12.500 EUR by the Flemish media regulator (VRM) for showing the film unscrambled and too early in the evening.
, the film was classified R18 and limited to film festival screenings or viewing for a tertiary film studies course.
after director Larry Clark punched and attempted to strangle Hamish McAlpine, the head of the UK distributor for the film, Metro Tartan. Clark is alleged to have been angry over McAlpine's remarks about 9/11. Clark was arrested and spent several hours in custody, and McAlpine was left with a broken nose.
. It has not found a distributor since its initial showing at the Telluride Film Festival
in 2002.
Harmony Korine
The story is told from the perspective of a young man suffering from untreated schizophrenia, played by Ewen Bremner, as he tries to understand his deteriorating world. Julien's abusive father is played by Werner Herzog...
, who based it on Larry Clark
Larry Clark
Lawrence Donald "Larry" Clark is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for the movie Kids and his photography book Tulsa...
's journals and stories. The film was directed by Larry Clark and Ed Lachman
Edward Lachman
Edward Lachman A.S.C. is an American cinematographer. Lachman is mostly associated with the American independent film movement, and has served as director of photography on films by Todd Haynes and I'm Not There in 2007 and Steven Soderbergh such as Erin Brockovich ...
.
The film revolves around the abusive
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
home lives of several teenage skateboarders
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and their friends, set in the city of Visalia
Visalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Plot
The opening of the film depicts a teenager casually skateboarding across Visalia, before arriving at a skate park. He sits in the middle of the park, takes a camcorder and a pistol out of his backpack, and commits public suicide. Ken's death is not very relevant in the story; the narrator, Shawn, describes Ken being close to four other teens, which the film follows immediately afterwards:Shawn: The most stable of the four main characters, Shawn has a strong sexual affair with his girlfriend's mother Rhonda throughout the story. He casually talks and eats with the family, who are unaware of the situation.
Claude: A teen who is almost at the mercy of his violent, alcoholic father while doing his best to take care of his mother. Halfway through the story, his drunken father attempts to give Claude oral sex, which results with him running away from home, which he had previously discussed with his friends.
Peaches: After her highly religious father catches her having sex with her boyfriend, he savagely disciplines her using a religious motive. He sees Peaches as his dead wife; in the end, he forces her to marry him in order to keep her from engaging in any other sexual activities.
Tate: The most savage and unstable of all, Tate lives with his grandparents, and frequently verbally abuses them. Seeing himself as the leader of the household, he brutally stabs his grandfather to death after he supposedly cheated at scrabble, as well as his grandmother for "invading his privacy". He also engages in auto-erotic asphyxiation while masturbating, and admits that after stabbing his grandparents to death, he almost had an erection.
The film jumps between each story throughout the timeline; each opens and is resolved after several intermissions to a different one. Only at the end do the friends meet, where Shawn, Claude and Peaches have a threesome, Tate already being arrested. At the very end, the film finally reveals the true motive behind Ken Park's suicide.
Cast
- Adam Chubbuck as Ken Park
- James Bullard as Shawn
- James RansoneJames RansoneJames Ransone is an American actor and former musician from Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of HBO's The Wire, and Corporal Josh Ray Person in the Iraq War-based mini-series Generation Kill...
as Tate - Stephen Jasso as Claude
- Tiffany LimosTiffany LimosTiffany Limos is an American actress best known for her role as Peaches in the controversial film Ken Park, and has been called the muse of iconic photographer Larry Clark...
as Peaches - Eddie Daniels as Rhonda's Mother
- Seth Gray as Rhonda's Brother
- Maeve QuinlanMaeve QuinlanMaeve Anne Quinlan is an American actress and former professional tennis player. She is best known for starring in the critically acclaimed hit series South of Nowhere, which received two nominations in a row for Best Drama at the GLAAD Media Awards, and she has a recurring role on...
as Rhonda - Patricia Place as Tate's Grandmother
- Amanda Plummer as Claude's Mother
- Wade WilliamsWade WilliamsWade Andrew Williams is an American actor who is best known for his starring role as Brad Bellick on Fox's television series Prison Break.-Personal life:...
as Claude's Father - Julio Oscar MochosoJulio Oscar MechosoJulio Oscar Mechoso is an American actor. He is occasionally credited as Julio Mechoso.Mechoso is a character actor in both television and film. He has appeared in several high-profile films, such as Grindhouse, Bad Boys and the controversial Ken Park. His television credits include Miami Vice,...
as Peaches' Father - Zara McDowell as Zoe
- Richard RiehleRichard Riehle-Life and career:Riehle was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Margaret , a nurse, and Herbert John Riehle , an assistant postmaster. He attended the University of Notre Dame....
as Murph - Larry ClarkLarry ClarkLawrence Donald "Larry" Clark is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for the movie Kids and his photography book Tulsa...
as Hot dog vendor
Production
Clark attempted to write the first script for Ken Park, basing it on personal experiences and people with whom he had grown up. Dissatisfied with his own draft, he hired Harmony KorineHarmony Korine
The story is told from the perspective of a young man suffering from untreated schizophrenia, played by Ewen Bremner, as he tries to understand his deteriorating world. Julien's abusive father is played by Werner Herzog...
to pen the screenplay. Clark ultimately used most of Korine's script, but rewrote the ending.
The film was given a $1.3 million budget. The arrangement was to film using digital video, but Clark and Lachman instead used 35mm film.
Themes
The film depicts controversial topics such as sexualityHuman sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, sexual experimentation, incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, teenage suicide
Teenage suicide
Teenage suicide in the United States remains comparatively high in the 15 to 24 age group with 4,000 suicides in this age range in 2004, making it the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24...
and, to a lesser extent, murder. The title "Ken Park" does not refer to a location, but rather to a character in the film, whose death is used as a plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
at the end of the film. Although never directly stated, Ken Park appears to be set over several days, spanning Friday to Sunday. The plot of Ken Park is non-linear, and often switches between different characters over this time period.
Distribution
Although it was sold for distribution to some 30 countries, the film has not managed to see wide distribution in many, partly due to being initially only popular at film festivals and being banned or having a limited release in several due to its sexual content involving minors.Australia
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the film was banned for its graphic sexual content. In response to the ban, a number of protest screenings were held across Australia, at least one of which, infamously attended by Australian film critic Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz AM is an Australian film critic and television personality.-Early life:Pomeranz was born in 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon, the then newly opened Macquarie University, and the Playwright's Studio at...
, was shut down by the police. In most capital cities free underground screenings were held with the information about their location being shared via text the night before.
France
In FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the film was first found unsuitable for children younger than 16. After reevaluation, it was later classified as forbidden for those under 18; as a result, the film was withdrawn from wide release.
Belgium
In BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the film was not distributed in theatres. On 3 July 2011 at 20.30 h., it was shown on JIM
JIM (Flemish TV channel)
JIM is a Flemish television channel that is aimed at people aged between 15 and 24. It's actually an abbreviation for "Jong, Interactief en Meer" . During its first years, the channel mainly broadcast music videos...
, a Flemish television channel aimed at people aged between 15 and 24. The channel was later fined 12.500 EUR by the Flemish media regulator (VRM) for showing the film unscrambled and too early in the evening.
New Zealand
In New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the film was classified R18 and limited to film festival screenings or viewing for a tertiary film studies course.
United Kingdom
The film was not shown in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after director Larry Clark punched and attempted to strangle Hamish McAlpine, the head of the UK distributor for the film, Metro Tartan. Clark is alleged to have been angry over McAlpine's remarks about 9/11. Clark was arrested and spent several hours in custody, and McAlpine was left with a broken nose.
United States
The film has never been issued in wide release in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has not found a distributor since its initial showing at the Telluride Film Festival
Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival was started in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy and Jim Card in the town of Telluride, Colorado, United States. It is operated by the National Film Preserve....
in 2002.