Forever drifting between commercial and arthouse cinema, Van Sant had an exceptional run during the early 00s. His oeuvre overall is pretty hit-and-miss, but his films rarely feel flat or uninspired, so it doesn't hurt to give them a try.
Movies
Elephant is one of van Sant's most impressive legacies, a powerhouse film that is tailored to perfection and deserves to be seen and to be treasured.
It's best to leave all hope of a decent storyline behind when you want to watch this film. Gerry is all about the experience, ignoring the rest and foregoing all compromises.
Together with Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days, Paranoid Park forms an interesting quadruple in Gus Van Sant's oeuvre. Very slow and low-key films that feel realistic but are still minutely stylized. It's not the best of the four, and also one of the more narrative ones, but it's required viewing if you liked the other three. The score is remarkable, the camera work is interesting, and the structure of the plot makes the story a bit more interesting. I didn't care for the 4:3 aspect ratio though and while properly stylized, I think it should've been a little more polished to ace its minimalist approach. A worthy film, but not the masterpiece I remembered it to be.Read all
Chacun Son Cinéma
Paris, I Love You
A rather disappointing rewatch. I was quite a fan of Van Sant's slow cinema trilogy, and films like Elephant and Gerry were still lovely the second time around. I didn't really manage to get into Last Days though, and then a film like this because quite the struggle. It's certainly not all bad, but far from a personal favorite. There are some very poignant scenes, but I didn't care for the ones that were music-led. The problem with this type of minimalism is that when it doesn't grab you, you're just looking at rather dull scenes that drone on endlessly, and there are a few too many of those moments. Not bad, but Van Sant did it better.Read all
One of the last Van Sant films I still needed to see. It's a pretty nice drama that has slivers of references to his best work, but once the stage is set and the characters are introduced, I found the film itself a little too meandering. That's not bad in and by itself, but neither the characters nor the vibe fully grabbed me. Phoenix and Reeves make a nice duo, there are some interesting side characters and Van Sant delivers a nice mix of narrative and mood cinema. I wasn't all that interested in Mike's quest to find his mom though, and once the film turned more into a road movie the film slowly lost me. Not bad though, but far from Van Sant's best work.Read all
Aokigahara has become a popular location for movies, in the hands of Gus Van Sant (thinking of Gerry in particular) it could've been genius. Sadly the reality is a bit different. The film is overly sentimental, the drama is poor, the acting way too heavy-handed. A missed opportunity that doesn't warrant its running time.
Gus van Sant needs another winner, because his career is slowly but surely slipping into mediocrity. This film does little to curve that trend, on the contrary. Tepid drama, gross overacting and a dreary story make this a real pain to sit through. In some instances van Sant's talent shines through, but they are few and far apart.
