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 while he tries to take care of his neglectful pregnant mother, who never does anything to defend him. Claude's father detests him for not being masculine enough. However, after coming home drunk one night, he attempts to perform oral sex on Claude, which prompts 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. He is later 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's glad his mother didn't abort him; he does not answer.
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 Korine to pen the screenplay. Clark ultimately used most of Korine's script, but rewrote the ending.[citation needed] The film was given a $1.3 million budget. The arrangement was to film using digital video, but Clark and Lachman used 35mm film instead.[2][3]
Distribution
Although it was sold for distribution to some 30 countries,[4] 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 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.[5][6] 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.[7] 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. A protest screening held in Sydney, hosted by film critic Margaret Pomeranz, was shut down by the police.[8]
Critical reception
Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 46% approval rating based on 13 reviews.[9] 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".[10] 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."[11] 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."[12] 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".[13] 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."[14]
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This article is about a film For the legal case involving a man named Ken Parks see R v Parks Ken Park is a 2002 erotic drama which revolves around the abusive and dysfunctional lives of several teenagers set in the city of Visalia California 1 It was written by Harmony Korine who based it on Larry Clark s journals and stories The film was directed and shot by Clark and Edward Lachman The film is an international co production of the United States the Netherlands and France Ken ParkGerman festival release posterDirected byLarry Clark Edward LachmanScreenplay byHarmony KorineBased onstories and journals by Larry ClarkProduced byKees Kasander Jean Louis PielStarringJames Ransone Tiffany Limos James Bullard Stephen Jasso Adam Chubbuck Maeve QuinlanCinematographyLarry Clark Ed LachmanEdited byAndrew HafitzProductioncompaniesKasander Film Company CineaDistributed byVitagraph Films US A Film Distribution Netherlands Pan Europeenne France Fortissimo FilmsRelease datesAugust 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 time93 minutesCountriesUnited StatesNetherlandsFranceLanguageEnglishBudget 1 3 million Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Distribution 5 Critical reception 6 Soundtrack 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksPlot EditThe 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 while he tries to take care of his neglectful pregnant mother who never does anything to defend him Claude s father detests him for not being masculine enough However after coming home drunk one night he attempts to perform oral sex on Claude which prompts 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 He is later 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 s glad his mother didn t abort him he does not answer Cast EditTiffany Limos as Peaches James Bullard as Shawn Stephen Jasso as Claude James Ransone as Tate Adam Chubbuck as Ken Park Maeve Quinlan as Rhonda Bill Fagerbakke as Bob Eddie Daniels as Shawn s Mother Seth Gray as Shawn s Brother Patricia Place as Tate s Grandmother Harrison Young as Tate s Grandfather Amanda Plummer as Claude s Pregnant Mother Wade Williams as Claude s Father Julio Oscar Mechoso as Peaches Father Zara McDowell as Zoe Mike Apaletegui as Curtis Richard Riehle as Murph Murphy Larry Clark as Hot Dog VendorProduction EditClark 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 Korine to pen the screenplay Clark ultimately used most of Korine s script but rewrote the ending citation needed The film was given a 1 3 million budget The arrangement was to film using digital video but Clark and Lachman used 35mm film instead 2 3 Distribution EditAlthough it was sold for distribution to some 30 countries 4 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 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 5 6 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 7 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 A protest screening held in Sydney hosted by film critic Margaret Pomeranz was shut down by the police 8 Critical reception EditReview aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 46 approval rating based on 13 reviews 9 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 10 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 11 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 12 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 13 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 14 Soundtrack EditBouncing Souls Lamar Vannoy Rancid Antennas Gary Stewart Out of Hand Tha Alkaholks Likwit KMD What a Nigga Know Blackalicious Deception Merle Haggard Mom and Dad s Waltz Black Star Brown Skin Lady Jerry Lee Lewis Good Time Charlie s Got the Blues The Roots Do You Want More Gary Stewart Shady Streets Quasimoto Put A Curse On You Hank Ballard Henry s Got Flat Feet The Shaggs Who Are Parents See also EditKids film Unsimulated sexReferences Edit What Culture 6 Ken Park 2001 Macnab Geoffrey Swart Sharon 2013 FilmCraft Producing Ebook Taylor amp Francis ISBN 9781136071171 Retrieved 25 January 2016 Ken Park 2002 Technical Specifications IMDB Retrieved 25 January 2016 Police quiz critic after raid By Kirsty Needham The Age July 4 2003 Accessed May 30 2007 Article in the BBC Collective Too much verite The Observer November 17 2002 Retrieved October 20 2015 The Nerve Interview Larry Clark Nerve 2006 09 20 Archived from the original on 2013 12 27 We ve arrested this film say police The Sydney Morning Herald 2003 07 04 Archived from the original on 2022 02 17 Retrieved 2022 02 18 Ken Park 2002 Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved 3 October 2019 Gonzalez Ed 30 July 2003 Review Ken Park Slant Magazine Retrieved 2021 03 20 Gonsalves Rob Movie Review Ken Park www efilmcritic com Retrieved 2021 03 20 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Ken Park 2002 retrieved 2021 03 20 McCarthy Todd 2002 09 06 Ken Park Variety Retrieved 2021 03 20 Marshall Lee 2002 09 06 Ken Park Screen Daily Retrieved 2021 03 20 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link External links EditKen Park at AllMovie Ken Park at Box Office Mojo Ken Park at IMDb Ken Park at Rotten Tomatoes Inside Film Magazine s Phillip Cenere reports on Australian ban of Ken Park Ken Park Harmony Korine com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ken Park amp oldid 1142531569, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
