Indie 90s: My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Director: Gus Van Sant Run Time: 104 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1991
Starring: James Russo, Keanu Reeves, River Phoenix, Rodney Harvey, William Richert
Country: United States
Language: English, Italian, German
Indie 90s: The Revolution That Changed Cinema
The ’90s didn’t just give us great movies, it changed what movies could be. Independent filmmakers that were breaking the rules, finding new voices, and reshaping American cinema.
Indie 90s features twenty-two films in all — all independent, all revolutionary.
See the full lineup
About the film:
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike’s estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
About the filmmaker:
Gus Van Sant is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker whose singular career has bridged independent and mainstream cinema for more than four decades. Renowned for landmark films including Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, Elephant, Milk, and Paranoid Park, Van Sant is celebrated for his compassionate portrayals of outsiders, lyrical visual style, and willingness to challenge cinematic conventions. His work has earned the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, two Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and a lasting reputation as one of America’s most influential contemporary filmmakers.
See our upcoming films