Gus Van Sant

To Die For

My Own Private Idaho

Better known for his oft-beloved films Good Will Hunting and Milk, and his famously hated shot-for-shot remake of Psycho, Gus Van Sant is nothing if not purposeful in the films he makes. Tonight’s films certainly differed in terms of plot and tone and perspective, but they both presented distinct and unique points of view, as well as some interesting social commentary. These films really exhibited the range and taste of Van Sant since their respective narratives and vibes were so different, but they also both show his ties to American idealism—or perhaps his criticism of it. To Die For was, well, (is she gonna say it?) to die for, and had me pulled in from the very beginning. Nicole Kidman playing a weatherwoman named Suzanne with a bloodlust for success and an unquenchable thirst for exposure might be my new favorite Nicole Kidman character—next to Satine from Moulin Rouge and Gillian from Practical Magic. Suzanne’s unstoppable ambition and terrifying dedication was completely palpable through Nicole’s performance and her styling was immaculate: from the nails to the makeup to the earth-shatteringly stunning wardrobe, Mrs. Urban set every scene ablaze. Even when things started to get dark, this film’s cinematography remained candy-coated and delightful—an aesthetic theme that often appears in my very favorite films. I can see how the design and the attitude of this film inspired Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, though this film was more fun in its approach to darkness. I can’t give much away about this film without cheapening its overall impact, but I found this entire story and ensemble to be irresistible. Everyone in this cast was phenomenal, between a young, gorgeous Matt Dillon, a young, grimy Joaquin Phoenix, Holland Taylor, Kurtwood Smith, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight, and Illeana Douglas, I was almost able to forget about C*sey Affleck. While I can love emotional, grounded cinema, I mostly love movies where girls wear gorgeous clothes and cause chaos, so I loved pretty much everything about this. Except for a couple of song choices, mostly the use of Sweet Home Alabama, every single detail in this film was curated and crafted to perfection. It’s just a fun, kinda fucked-up, good time, that apparently is based on the real life story of Pamela Smart—because truth is always stranger than fiction. It was after working on this film that C*sey Affleck showed Gus Van Sant a little script written by Dunkin Donuts consumer Ben Affleck and LGBTQ ally Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)—so To Die For is equally as significant within film history. Told in a quasi documentary-style, nonlinearly, To Die For was still easier to follow than the confusing beauty that was My Own Private Idaho. Visually, it’s what the tumblr posts of my youth were made of. Narratively, it was a bummer and a half. Structurally, huh? And when the Shakespeare really kicked in I felt a little disoriented, I won’t lie. I had completely forgotten that this was based off of not one but MULTIPLE Shakespearean stories (Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2, and Henry V) and because I hadn’t mentally prepared for all of the meandering and monologuing, I found it difficult to follow at several points. I felt myself zoning out during some of the soliloquies and the schemes of this rag-tag crew of gay street hustlers, but then I’d get lost in an entirely different way, when the camera would linger on Keanu Reeves or River Phoenix’s face. Some bold, if not jarring, storytelling decisions were made here that felt uncomfortably juxtaposed beside the few glimpses of peacefulness and hope we were given. The one scene that I felt let that audience breathe, the scene that stood out to me the most, is the scene in which River and Keanu are alone by a campfire, and River essentially confesses his love. As it would turn out, this scene wasn’t meant to go this way at all, but River requested that his rewrites of the scene be used instead and I’m so thankful he did. It’s a heartbreaking, but completely genuine moment that to me, affords this film some much-needed heart. As filmmaker and critic Todd Haynes once remarked to Gus Van Sant: “Before the scene, it's almost like the kids are all victims of homosexuality. There's the scene where they all sit around telling their stories of being raped and abused. It's not until River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves sit around the camp fire that you see one of the hustlers being gay in an all natural environment, with no money changing hands." There were some wonderful moments of tenderness and understanding, but not nearly enough for this sap. More Keanu and River whispering around a fire, more Udo Kier dancing and singing with a lamp, maybe a little less iambic pentameter, pls. Even though I wanted hornier vibes, I was more disappointed by the unrequited love and hopelessness of at it all. The real love story within My Own Private Idaho seemed to go down in the making of this film, as evidenced by Keanu and River’s closeness: “Because River Phoenix's agent refused to show him the film treatment for My Own Private Idaho, in late 1990 Keanu Reeves rode his motorcycle from Canada to Phoenix's hometown of Gainesville, Florida to hand deliver it himself.” River, Keanu, Gus, Flea (why was I not shocked he was in this) and the rest of the cast all lived in Gus’ home together and apparently partied so hard that Gus had to move out of his own home so he could sleep. Also, because River was such a big fan of The Simpsons, Gus got Matt Groening’s permission to include a clip from a Treehouse of Horror episode for free. All of this is to say that a documentary of the making of this film would not only be fascinating, but it might make me like the film as a whole better. But watching Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix for any period of time feels like medicine, and when River delivered the line “what am I to you?” I felt the same amount of touched as when Keanu said “I’ll sell my ass”.