Director · Screenwriter · Producer · Editor · Actor

Gus Van Sant

4: briefs
13:00: average
52 min: in total

On film.briefs4

Drugstore Cowboy

Gus Van Sant · 1989

Set in 1971 Portland, Drugstore Cowboy follows Bob Hughes and his crew as they rob pharmacies to sustain their heroin habits. When a death forces Bob to confront consequences, he attempts sobriety — only to circle back, not in despair, but with grim, ironic resolve. Gus Van Sant’s second feature avoids moralising, instead observing addiction as a structure of time, labour and loyalty. Shot by Robert Yeoman, scored by Elliot Goldenthal, and anchored by Matt Dillon’s restrained lead performance, it remains a benchmark of American indie realism.

13:00

Mala Noche

Gus Van Sant · 1985

Gus Van Sant’s 1985 debut, shot in black-and-white 16 mm in Portland, follows Walt, a gay shop clerk, as he pursues an unreciprocated relationship with two young Mexican men. Built on asymmetry — of age, language, money, and immigration status — the film avoids exposition and resolution, favouring quiet observation and emotional restraint. Its power lies in what it withholds: explanation, translation, catharsis.

13:00

My Own Private Idaho

Gus Van Sant · 1991

Gus Van Sant’s 1991 arthouse drama follows two young male hustlers — Mike, who suffers narcoleptic blackouts, and Scott, the mayor’s son — as they travel from Portland to Idaho and Rome in search of Mike’s absent mother. Loosely modelled on Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, it blends documentary realism with poetic fragmentation, anchored by River Phoenix’s understated performance and Eric Alan Edwards’ naturalistic cinematography. Though uneven in execution, its cultural impact and formal daring have secured its place as a landmark of new queer cinema.

13:00

To Die For

Gus Van Sant · 1995

Gus Van Sant’s 1995 black comedy follows Suzanne Stone, a New Hampshire woman who engineers her husband’s murder to advance her television career. Framed by direct-to-camera monologues and mockumentary interviews, the film dissects how media formats confer legitimacy, turning crime into content and ambition into algorithm. Nicole Kidman’s performance anchors its precise, unsentimental critique of fame’s infrastructure.