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Permanent Record

Permanent Record

Drama · 1988

David Sinclair seems to have everything going for him: he's smart, musically talented, and very successful. To top off his senior year in high school, his band is trying to get a recording session. Therefore, David's suicide leaves everyone, especially his best friend and bandmate, Chris, with a lot of questions.

Movie details

Permanent Record

“High school. Senior year. His suicide shattered their world. Their courage drove them to pick up the pieces.”

1988 Drama 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

David Sinclair seems to have everything going for him: he's smart, musically talented, and very successful. To top off his senior year in high school, his band is trying to get a recording session. Therefore, David's suicide leaves everyone, especially his best friend and bandmate, Chris, with a lot of questions.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Permanent Record?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Marisa Silver

Written by

Larry Ketron · Alice Liddle · Jarre Fees

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves

Chris Townsend

Alan Boyce

Alan Boyce

David Sinclair

Michelle Meyrink

Michelle Meyrink

M.G.

Jennifer Rubin

Jennifer Rubin

Lauren

Pamela Gidley

Pamela Gidley

Kim

Barry Corbin

Barry Corbin

Jim Sinclair

Kathy Baker

Kathy Baker

Martha Sinclair

Court is in session

Put Permanent Record on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.