Palo Alto
Starring: James Franco, Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer & Nat Wolff.
Trapped in sheltered suburban affluence, Teddy, April, Fred and Emily yearn for both cheap thrills and meaningful connection. Aided by generous doses of alcohol, drugs and sex, they wander aimlessly through tree-lined cup-de-sacs as they struggle to understand their own confused emotions.
Adapted from James Franco’s first collection of short stories, Gia Coppola’s startling debut film captures the loneliness and frustration of fragile adolescents left to flounder among real world perils hidden behind the bland facades of suburbia. However, Coppola’s film also poignantly hints at the capacity for wonder that comes with their vulnerability – if only they can avoid driving head long into the dangers all around.