This film is part of the first installment of our summer series, which focuses on films about friendship.
Narcoleptic sex worker Mike (River Phoenix) roams the streets, driven by a deep longing for comfort and the mother who once abandoned him. Along the way, he meets Scott (Keanu Reeves), the rebellious son of a mayor who immerses himself in street life as an act of defiance. The two set out on a journey to find Mike’s mother—a trip that takes them from the empty plains of Idaho to the boulevards of Rome. Along the way, an intimate bond develops between them, where desire, loyalty, and alienation become inextricably intertwined. They rebel, survive, and learn what it means to love—and to be left behind.
My Own Private Idaho offers a tender look at friendship, unrequited love, and life on the fringes of society. Director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) fuses melodrama with absurdism—raw realism with poetic imagery—and echoes Shakespearean themes in a punk-infused world. River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves deliver perhaps the most affecting performances of their careers. A cult classic that lingers long after the credits roll.