Palo Alto (2013)

Directed by: Gia Coppola
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Palo Alto” is a self-confident debut feature on writing/direction for Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter, Gia Coppola, based on the short stories by James Franco, who also stars in the film. It addresses juvenile problems both with clarity and charm, focusing on a few interesting characters who are ready to experiencing whatever life may throw at them, and finally decide what path they want to go. April is a sweet girl who has a crush for Terry but let herself be trapped by her deceitful soccer coach. Terry is also in love with April, but during a night drinking party he screwed up his chances with her, when drunk, he allowed himself to be grabbed by Emily, a lonely girl who just wants to fall in love with someone and is always available for every boy around. Finally, Terry’s best friend, Fred, is an insane misfit who no one gives credit, bringing trouble everywhere he goes. There’s so much going on in this well-observed drama that I almost didn’t notice the time passing. From start to finish, I was taken by the powerful subtleness of its exposures, and was amazed by the perfect light and color of Autumn Durald’s cinematography. In spite of its dreamy tones, “Palo Alto” is far from a sweet look at teenage conducts, giving us enough motives to appreciate but also to think about it. Above all, it’s a film about choices and even if not entirely new, in my eyes it seemed pretty fresh. Emma Roberts, Nat Wolff and Val Kilmer’s son, Jack Kilmer, gave noteworthy performances.