Returning home is an important theme shown in "My Own Private Idaho" *Spoiler alert

*This article touches on the ending of the story, so we recommend watching the movie before reading it.

“My Own Private Idaho” synopsis

Phoenix plays Mike, who has a strange disease called narcolepsy. As he waits for customers on the street corner, he drags back the sweet memories of his childhood, searching for the traces of his mother who abandoned him. Reeves plays Scott, the son of a wealthy family who ran away from home. As he waits for his father's legacy to be handed down to him, he searches for meaning in life in what he calls a personal "crusade." Together, these two wander into a strange world, spend the night with strangers who have no money, and go on an adventure far from reality. Through these experiences, they gradually come to understand each other's problems and their place in the world, and learn life lessons that can only be learned on the streets.

Index

• “My Own Private Idaho” has a multifaceted appeal.
• Thoroughly indie style and the overwhelming freedom that resides therein
• What River Phoenix brought to you
• Shakespeare's classics relevant to today's streets
• Spoiler alert, sadness and warmth in the last scene

“My Own Private Idaho” has a multifaceted appeal.

Gus Van Sant's highly acclaimed film ``My Own Private Idaho'' depicts the world of male street prostitutes, starring the late River Phoenix and a young Keanu Reeves. Ever since I encountered this film in 1991, the year it was released, I have continued to think about how to express its greatness. After all, ``My Own Private Idaho'' can be viewed in many ways. A well-thought-out road movie, a heartfelt indie film, a BL story about beautiful men...all of them are correct. However, it is also true that such multifacetedness is the charm of this work. In this article, we will explore the appeal of this masterpiece from many different angles.

First, let's review the story. The setting is Portland, Oregon. The main character, Mike (Phoenix), is a lonely male prostitute who sells his body on the street. One of the male prostitutes she hangs out with is Scott (Reeves), the mayor's son who rebelled and ran away from home. And there is Bob, a free man and a fat middle-aged man who is loved by them like a father. Living with such friends is fun, but I want to find a mother who will remain in my memory. So, Mike goes on a journey to find his mother with Scott. to Idaho and then to the exotic country of Italy. However, this trip confronts Mike with a harsh reality.

"My Own Private Idaho" trailer

It is said to be based on Shakespeare's plays `` Henry IV, Part 1' ', ` `Henry IV, Part 2' ', and ` `Henry V ''. Furthermore, we come to the 1965 film ` `Orson Welles' Falstaff,' ' which mixed them together, but more on that later. Van Sant, an openly gay man, had been planning a film about male prostitution since the 1970s, inspired by John Letchy's novel Night City . Combining this with the essence of Shakespeare became the prototype for ``My Own Private Idaho.'' You can also see traces of Kerouac's novel `` On the Road '' and the movies `` Easy Rider '' (1969) and `` Paris, Texas '' (1984).

Van Sant released his first feature film, `` Maranoche '' in 1985, and used this as a business card to enter Hollywood and pitch the idea of ​​``My Own Private Idaho,'' but no Hollywood studio showed any interest. It was not a story about gays, but a story about drug addicts, which Van Sant had proposed separately. As a result, Van Sant's second directorial film was released to the world as `` Drugstore Cowboy '' (1989), and the success of this film made it possible for him to make his third film, ``My Own Private Idaho.''

Thoroughly indie style and the overwhelming freedom that resides therein