Paranoid Park 2008

Alex, a 16-year-old skateboarder, embarks on a reckless adventure when he clandestinely hops on a freight train with a stranger named Scratch he meets at the Eastside Skatepark, famously known as Paranoid Park. Things take a dark turn when a security guard spots them, leading to a frantic chase. In a desperate attempt to evade capture, the guard strikes Scratch with his flashlight. In the ensuing chaos, Alex inadvertently swings his skateboard, causing the guard to lose his balance and tragically fall onto the tracks, where he meets a gruesome fate at the hands of an oncoming freight train.

Wracked with guilt, Alex resorts to desperate measures to erase his connection to the incident. He tosses his skateboard into the depths of the Willamette River from the Steel Bridge, hoping to destroy evidence. Afterward, he visits his friend Jared, where he attempts to wash away the horror of the night by showering and discarding his clothes.

As the investigation unfolds, Alex finds himself interrogated at school by Detective Richard Lu, alongside several peers who were skateboarding that fateful night. The police have recovered his skateboard, although they haven’t yet linked it directly to him. Furthermore, DNA evidence ties the skateboard to the chaotic scene of the guard’s tragic demise.

Throughout this tumultuous period, Alex chooses to keep his secret bottled up, isolating himself from those around him. Following a detached encounter with his girlfriend Jennifer, he makes the decision to break up with her. His friend Macy senses his turmoil and suggests that he write down his feelings as a means of cathartic expression. Initially dismissing the idea, Alex eventually succumbs to the suggestion, penning his emotional struggles into a narrative. However, in a final act of desperation to rid himself of the haunting memories, he sets his written account ablaze, symbolizing his attempt to cleanse himself of the past.