Now a āprovocativeā and āimpressiveā (Variety) film from director Gia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppolaās granddaughter)āstarring Emma Roberts, James Franco, Nat Wolff, and Val Kilmerāthe fiction debut from James Franco that Vogue called ācompelling and gutsy.ā
James Francoās story collection traces the lives of a group of teenagers as they experiment with vices of all kinds, struggle with their families and one another, and succumb to self-destructive, often heartless nihilism. In āLockheedā a young womanās summerāspent working a dull internshipāis suddenly upended by a spectacular incident of violence at a house party. In āAmerican Historyā a high school freshman attempts to impress a girl with a realistic portrayal of a slave owner during a classroom skitāonly to have his feigned bigotry avenged. In āI Could Kill Someone,ā a lonely teenager buys a gun with the aim of killing his high school tormentor, but begins to wonder about his bullyās own inner life.
These āspare and rivetingā (O, The Oprah Magazine) stories are a compelling portrait of lives on the rough fringes of youth. Palo Alto is, āa collection of beautifully written storiesā (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) that ācapture with perfect pitch the impossible exhilaration, the inevitable downbeatness, and the pure confusion of being an adolescentā (Elle).
Features a bonus essay by James Franco on Gia Coppola's film adaptation.