Plot
High school student Alan Boyce has it all: looks, charm, popularity, excellent grades, a promising future. So why does Boyce abruptly commit suicide? As the shock waves of the boy's death reverberate through the halls of his school, the other students--particularly Boyce's best friend Keanu Reeves--ask themselves if they, too, are capable of self-destruction. As for the adults, Boyce's suicide is one more of a myriad of mysteries concerning "Generation X" (though it was not yet so labelled in 1988). While the film offers no easy answers, either for the characters or the audience, Permanent Record ultimately demonstrates that there are ways to cope with the pressures of life other than taking one's own life. An added bonus: the teenagers in the film act like genuine teenagers, not like TV sitcom wisecrackers or oversexed cretins.
Theatrical Release Date:
01/16/2005
DVD Release Date:
02/17/2004
Distributor(s):
Paramount
Themes:
High School Life,Suicide
Tone:
Understated,Elegiac,Reflective,Compassionate,Earnest
Keywords:
grief,guilt,parent,school,stress [worry],suicide,teenagers
Country of Origin:
USA (04-22-1988)