REEL RETROSPECTIVES: My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Barry Germansky
Contributor
In an era dominated by stale narrative formulas, films that switch form entirely and attempt to function as a poem are welcomed reliefs. Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho expands the boundaries of the cinematic canvas and brings it to exciting new levels.
My Own Private Idaho tells the story of a male prostitute named Mike Waters (River Phoenix) who struggles to find his identity in an unkind world. He is plagued by his conflicted feelings toward the people in his life, from his unreliable friend Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) to a street kingpin and corruptor of lost boys, Bob Pigeon (William Richert).
What makes the film distinct is Mike’s narcolepsy. Every time he encounters stress, he suffers from a narcoleptic fit which he is often literally and figuratively thrown out of. This series of events gives the film a loose, poetic feel that flows as a fragmented stream of consciousness.
The acting is great all around. Phoenix, oozing with raw talent, proves that he was the greatest actor of his generation by giving his difficult character an aura of authentic emotional vulnerability. His death a mere two years after the film’s release was one of the worst losses we’ve had in the acting community.
The second standout is William Richert, playing a Falstaffesque part lifted from Shakespeare’s Henry V. Richert anchors each of his scenes with a mixture of fiery emotion and colourful charm.
My Own Private Idaho is Gus Van Sant’s best film, showcasing his iconoclastic side in a way that none of his later, more commercially successful films ever quite achieved.