Gus Van Sant
In the opening scene of My Own Private Idaho we see the late River Phoenix, playing Mike, having a narcoleptic episode while imagining his mother comforting him juxtaposed with home videos of him as a child. As a street hustler, narcolepsy proves to be one of the worst attributes to have for the job, as during moments of high energy Mike usually involuntarily falls asleep, to the despair of his sex-hungry tricks
With the help of his reliable friend from the streets, Scott (Keanu Reaves), Mike seems to get by. Scott is the rebel child of the Mayor of Portland and confesses to Mike that when he turns 21, he dreams of retiring as a street hustler, with the aid of his father’s inheritance.
In the meantime, Scott helps Mike find his family, embarking on a trip to Idaho, to meet his supposed older brother, Richard, then to Italy, to find his mother. In Italy, Scott falls in love with a young woman named Carmela, and both return to the U.S., leaving a broken-hearted Mike behind.
The movie outlines the foreseeable separation of the rebel heir and his less fortunate companion who live similar lifestyles but are differentiated by their ability to make ends meet.
My Own Private Idaho
director GUS VAN SANT
year 1991
director of photography JOHN J. CAMPBELL and ERIC ALAN EDWARDS
cast RIVER PHOENIX and KEANU REEVES
words PRIYESH PATEL
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