Review of My Own Private Idaho

In this amazing film there are a lot of symbolic images that are the keys to understand it. Mike Waters is a young drifter who works as a male prostitute. He has had a very difficult childhood because his mother was mentally ill and he discovers, but maybe he had always known, that his brother is his father. This is probably the cause of his narcolepsy. He don't succeed in overcoming his past and the narcolepsy, making him fall suddenly asleep, takes him away from the real life and brings him in the life he always have dreamt, exactly his own private Idaho. In fact Mike, in the beginning and in the end of the film awakens on the street for the Idaho because this is the place where all is problems have starts and from which he has to restart if he wants to go on. The street is one of the symbolic images: he can decide to cross it, going on with is real life, or ramain at the point of starting. Another symbolic image is that of leaping fish that try to sail up a stream that reflect just his impossibility to overcome his past. This film is surely the greatest Gus Vas Sant's one , one of my favourite director. A shocking drama of uncommon strength and beauty. The actors are the best they would have been, River Phoenix is superlative (this is his greatest performance too and I am very happy that he had been rewarded with the `Coppa Volpi' just in my country, Italy), Keanu Reeves gives also a good performance in a very complex role, Udo Kier gives great charm and charisma to his character and James Russo a strong dramatic charge. The cinematography is excellent as well as the soundtrack through which song there is the beautiful Madonna's song `Cherish' that stress the Mike's search of a person who loves him (who cherishes him), a man or a woman this does't matters. During the films all his hope seem to be shattered but the end of the film leaves an open door to different interpretations: Make falling asleep and being bundled into a car by a stranger…..he will finally go on and find a person that cares for him or he comes back again to Idaho?