title: Permanent Record (film)
text: Permanent Record is a 1988 American drama film starring Pamela Gidley, Michelle Meyrink, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Rubin, and Alan Boyce. It was filmed on location in Portland, Oregon and Yaquina Head near Newport on the Oregon Coast. The film primarily deals with the profound effect of suicide, and how friends and family work their way through the grief.
  
  Plot 
  David Sinclair (Alan Boyce) seems to have everything. He is smart, talented, funny, and popular. He is best friends with Chris Townsend (Keanu Reeves), a quirky outsider. He seems to have it all together, yet as his personal academic expectations and those of his parents become overwhelming, he seemingly is keeping emotional problems a secret to himself.
  
  At a party with his school friends along the coast, he takes a walk to the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.
  
  Chris, playful as ever, decides to sneak up on his friend, but when he emerges from behind a rock, David is not there. He has fallen to his death. Originally assumed to be a horrible accident, the situation changes when Chris receives a suicide note in the mail. Chris and David's girlfriend, Lauren (Jennifer Rubin), want to hold some type of memorial, but a reluctant school decides against it, leaving the kids to memorialize their friend in their own way.
  
  Cast 
   Keanu Reeves as Chris Townsend
   Alan Boyce as David Sinclair
   Michelle Meyrink as M.G.
   Jennifer Rubin as Lauren
   Barry Corbin as Jim Sinclair
   Kathy Baker as Martha Sinclair
   Pamela Gidley as Kim
   Richard Bradford as Leo Verdell, Principal
   Michael Elgart as Jake
   Dakin Matthews as Mr. McBain, Drama Teacher
   Lou Reed as himself
  
   Sam Vlahos as Mr. Townsend
   David Selberg as Dr. Moss, School Superintendent
   Ron Jaxon as Woody
   Kevin Brown as Tiny
   Paul Ganus as Randy
   Phil Diskin as Security Guard
   Garrett Lambert as Producer
   Carolyn Tomei as Chemistry Teacher
  
  Reception 
  Permanent Record received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. The film holds a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews.
  
  Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the film as one of the best 1988 had to offer, stating all the performances were appropriate to the material, whilst also praising Silver for finding authentic ways to portray emotions.
  
  Variety Reviews applauded Reeves' performance in the latter half of the film, citing Boyce's character's suicide as the primary reason, although also criticizing the female characters in the film.
  
  Rob Gonsalves of efilmcritic.com criticized the film, stating it was nothing more than a 'TV-Movie drama film,' whilst also criticizing the climax of the story. However, he also praised the performance of Keanu Reeves.
  
  Soundtrack 
  The musical score for Permanent Record was composed by Joe Strummer, former member of the punk rock band The Clash. A soundtrack album was released in 1988 and featured five songs by Joe Strummer and the Latino Rockabilly War with Keanu Reeves guest starring on rhythm guitar for the album's opening track, as well as individual tracks by Lou Reed, The Stranglers, BoDeans, The Godfathers, and J. D. Souther.
  
  References
  
  External links 
   
   
  
  1988 films
  1988 drama films
  American drama films
  American high school films
  Films about grieving
  Films about suicide
  Films directed by Marisa Silver
  Films set in Oregon
  Films shot in Oregon
  Films shot in Portland, Oregon
  Paramount Pictures films
  1980s English-language films
  1980s American films
  Films produced by Frank Mancuso Jr.