-Ken Park & His F****d Up World-

This film (Ken Park 2002) was utterly fantastic! It was so far from what I originally expected. After two classes of porn with barely any words and a mass amount of sex, the last thing I expected was a film with a fantastic plot and actors of worth. Seriously, this film was fairly impressive. Besides the plot and superior acting, the script, filming, and depth to be found, and felt, was extremely well done. I don’t wanna spend too much time on these behind the scenes elements, because what actually happens in the film has me excitedly ready to delve into the intricacies of the characters.

There of course were the four main ones, and then the one boy of course who committed suicide at the beginning. Out of the four characters, Shawn, Claude, Peaches and Tate, I’d have to say my favorite character and storyline would have to be between Claude and Shawn. To me they had the simplest of lives, especially in comparison to Tate, whose story line I absolutely hated and have zero sympathy for. Peaches issues with dating, sex and her father were intriguing. I felt like I took a lot, and caught onto a lot there,

I feel like it’s hard to chose which character to focus on, so I’m just going to start with Claude and go from there. Something I had to understand very quickly about Claude is that his story wouldn’t be a happy, pleasing one. According to Tim Palmer, “cinema thrives on its ability to induce forceful, vivid sensation-- a tendency that in some cases is taken to extremes. Yet while the majority of world film engages its viewers to convey satisfaction or gratification, there occasionally emerges an opposite tendency, aggressive and abrasive forms of cinema that seek a more confrontational experience”(Tim Palmer 22). According to this, the art of cinema has much to do with what emotions a filmmaker can make the audience feel. Most want to gratify or make an audience satisfied. I would say that this film, and especially Claude’s story line was there to be more confrontational and uncomfortable.

I knew right off the bat that Claude’s father, whom I thought was actually his step dad, had sexual feelings toward his son. From the calling him a “pixie” to simply wanting him to be more masculine, more pleasing specifically to the dad. I found it extremely interesting yet horrific that the dad was fairly abusive to his son. Some would say it was done in a horrible, mislead childlike way of showing feelings, while others would say, me specifically, that he did it to hide his perverted thoughts of attraction. As well as maybe trying to combat it in his own mind. I hoped this would be reconciled and that the father would never act on his thoughts and attraction. Which, I would like to add is most definitely not a homosexual attraction. I would label this type of pervertedness as a whole other sexuality altogether.

So when the father came home drunk and was looking at pictures of his son as a young child, I realized this could go one of two ways. One would be that the father would realize that above his perverted thoughts, Claude is his son and that he should love and care for him and not think of him in any sexual manner. The other would be that his feelings of attraction went back much further than most would think. And that the father’s misguided search to be cared about by his son via sexual means would actually progress. Both of these thoughts were on my mind as the father entered Claude’s room. When he laid down to cuddle I wasn’t sure whether to freak out or be minorly relieved. Of course the way the filming and story line was going practically called for something horrid to happen, so my brain and my nerves were more on that route, which concluded to be correct. His father tried to give oral sex while his son was sleeping, which is rape, incest and pedophilia. It was a horrible moment and I think I was silently screaming into my jacket sleeve, as well as just totally freaking out. When Claude awoke and kicked his father to the floor I, my friends and many others in the classroom couldn’t help but to cheer!

I’d like to move momentarily into the hypothetical. My own personal wanderings about Claude due to how I see his story line. I myself being a pansexual individual who hid his sexuality for years and was teased and treated badly for being a sissy at times, or sometimes slightly “fairy”ish. It makes me wonder if claude could have possibly been into guys as well as girls. Now, I don’t want you to think that I’m just throwing this out without any evidence so I would like to point out a couple scenes. Firstly, his mother talks about how Claude is a pretty boy. I don’t remember the exact wording, but she did it in such a way that made me think that she knew something others didn’t. I think mothers sometimes know things even before their children realize them. Another scene, when Claude was smoking pot with a couple guy friends there was some camera play and small undercover glances from claude that made it seem like he was checking out his friends in a non-hetero way. The third scene is when Claude participated in a totally consensual three way. Though, he doesn’t actually do anything directly sexual with Shawn, it makes me wonder, if Shawn would have wanted to would Claude have been into that type of thing? These are simply my musings and something I can’t be totally sure of based on what the film showed.

According to Mr. Palmer, films with decidedly inflammatory subjects are an exciting form of film art. Allowing for them to be extremely affecting in their conception and execution. I think this scene of terrifying wrongness executed by the father is such a scene. To finish up this little journal/paper I would just like to state that this film, though extremely hard to watch at times was the most intriguing to me personally to date from the class. It helped that the acting was well done and that there was an ingenious plot line to follow and get slightly lost in. Claude, Tate, Peaches and Shawn all had extremely messed up lives and it definitely all points to maybe why the boy in the very beginning took his life. I think the moral of the whole thing might be to always look at the bright side of things. To maybe learn to get away and do the healthy things that make you happy. Such as participating in consensual sex with individuals that you truly trust. Film is definitely an art form. According to Mr. Palmer, filmmakers are artistic representatives and cultural ambassadors. The one who created this film is definitely one heck of an artist.