← Back to Cinema Atlas
Discover great cinema and the connections that made it possible.
My Own Private Idaho
UNITED STATES · 1991

My Own Private Idaho

Gus Van Sant
male prostitution parental abandonment class conflict shakespearean adaptation addiction and substance abuse
Watch on MUBI → ▶ Trailer

Synopsis

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

More from Gus Van Sant

United States · American Independent
Good Will Hunting
1997 • United States
View →
Milk
2008 • United States
View →
Elephant
2003 • United States
View →