← Back to Reviews
in
LAST DAYS - 2005, Gus Van Sant
Stars: Michael Pitt, Kim Gordon
As far as I'm concerned, going into Last Days expecting to see a portrait of Kurt Cobain is an immediate mistake. Allegedly, writer/director Gus Van Sant's initial intentions with the project were slightly more ambiguous than the ultimate result. It was primarily an intuitive decision made by lead actor Michael Pitt to play his character as a ragged blonde grunge rocker reminiscent of Cobain. This film is bigger than the examination of one individual. It's not about one person, living or dead. This is the third entry in Gus Van Sant's minimalist, borderline abstract Death trilogy. It is arguably the strongest installment.
The trilogy began in 2002 with Gerry, a visually striking film in which two young men got lost in a desert, ending in tragic results. The follow-up was Elephant (2003), a sensitive and poignant recreation of the Columbine shootings. Once again, we watched as two young men moved quietly towards a grim conclusion. With Last Days, Van Sant re-examines the death of a young man at his own hands.
The young man depicted is named Blake. We watch him wander slowly through a forest in filthy clothes that hang limply off his bones. We watch him attempting at human connection, only to submissively accept as the people around him take advantage of his weakness. He mutters indiscernably through most of the film, providing us with a cryptic indicator of a man deep in his own presumably morbid thoughts. Harris Savides, the cinematographer of all three Death films, does a magnificent job of capturing Van Sant's vision. For most of the first act in Last Days, Blake's face is only seen from a distance, or from behind a curtain of his own long hair.
The detachment of the visual approach serves as a disarming juxtaposition to the intimacy of the events we witness. Blake's bizarre, obviously depressed actions and reactions are explored from a voyeuristic but neutral standpoint. Many people have accused the film of being pointless and boring. I disagree. The combination of a foreboding, moody sound design and gorgeously simplistic photography is brilliant. The painstaking pace of the picture reaches its full potential in numerous chilling, unforgettable scenes. My favorite may be the moment when we watch Blake, alone, gasp out one final musical performance, singing a melancholy song written by Pitt himself called "Death to Birth".
The truth that results from this film's approach should be largely attributed to Michael Pitt. The underrated young performer takes the definition of nuanced acting to a new level. Evidently conscious of the film's distance, he never feels remotely self-aware. He opens this character's soul to us from afar with achingly honest results. When told by one journalist that he walks exactly like Cobain in the film, Pitt responded plainly with "I walked like a junkie." His character choice has echoes of Cobain, and sometimes they are loud echoes. He even has a striking physical resemblance to the dark beauty of the deceased musician. However, the triumph of his work here is in the fact that he accurately conveys a man whose identity is fading, someone whose soul is dwindling until his final disturbing moment on screen.
Last Days is not for everyone. This is clear to see from its lukewarm critical response and largely unenthusiastic feedback from audiences. It is a meticulously crafted piece with specific intent and ideas, but its aims will not be visible or effective for everyone. A lot of people say its intentions are meaningless. I strongly oppose those sentiments. For me, this film goes above and beyond achieving its goals. This is a resonant, unsettling account of a human being who crumbles underneath the burdens of his life and submits to fate. It's not about the frontman of Nirvana. It is about isolation, depression, and most importantly it is about the dark corners of the human psyche.
This is probably my favorite Gus Van Sant film to date. After watching Last Days, it settles into the subconscious and imprints its haunting beauty in the memory of its viewers. Like a bleak, subtextual poem, the least this film should do for anyone is leave them thinking.
MY RATING: 5/5
Stars: Michael Pitt, Kim Gordon
As far as I'm concerned, going into Last Days expecting to see a portrait of Kurt Cobain is an immediate mistake. Allegedly, writer/director Gus Van Sant's initial intentions with the project were slightly more ambiguous than the ultimate result. It was primarily an intuitive decision made by lead actor Michael Pitt to play his character as a ragged blonde grunge rocker reminiscent of Cobain. This film is bigger than the examination of one individual. It's not about one person, living or dead. This is the third entry in Gus Van Sant's minimalist, borderline abstract Death trilogy. It is arguably the strongest installment.
The trilogy began in 2002 with Gerry, a visually striking film in which two young men got lost in a desert, ending in tragic results. The follow-up was Elephant (2003), a sensitive and poignant recreation of the Columbine shootings. Once again, we watched as two young men moved quietly towards a grim conclusion. With Last Days, Van Sant re-examines the death of a young man at his own hands.
The young man depicted is named Blake. We watch him wander slowly through a forest in filthy clothes that hang limply off his bones. We watch him attempting at human connection, only to submissively accept as the people around him take advantage of his weakness. He mutters indiscernably through most of the film, providing us with a cryptic indicator of a man deep in his own presumably morbid thoughts. Harris Savides, the cinematographer of all three Death films, does a magnificent job of capturing Van Sant's vision. For most of the first act in Last Days, Blake's face is only seen from a distance, or from behind a curtain of his own long hair.
The detachment of the visual approach serves as a disarming juxtaposition to the intimacy of the events we witness. Blake's bizarre, obviously depressed actions and reactions are explored from a voyeuristic but neutral standpoint. Many people have accused the film of being pointless and boring. I disagree. The combination of a foreboding, moody sound design and gorgeously simplistic photography is brilliant. The painstaking pace of the picture reaches its full potential in numerous chilling, unforgettable scenes. My favorite may be the moment when we watch Blake, alone, gasp out one final musical performance, singing a melancholy song written by Pitt himself called "Death to Birth".
The truth that results from this film's approach should be largely attributed to Michael Pitt. The underrated young performer takes the definition of nuanced acting to a new level. Evidently conscious of the film's distance, he never feels remotely self-aware. He opens this character's soul to us from afar with achingly honest results. When told by one journalist that he walks exactly like Cobain in the film, Pitt responded plainly with "I walked like a junkie." His character choice has echoes of Cobain, and sometimes they are loud echoes. He even has a striking physical resemblance to the dark beauty of the deceased musician. However, the triumph of his work here is in the fact that he accurately conveys a man whose identity is fading, someone whose soul is dwindling until his final disturbing moment on screen.
Last Days is not for everyone. This is clear to see from its lukewarm critical response and largely unenthusiastic feedback from audiences. It is a meticulously crafted piece with specific intent and ideas, but its aims will not be visible or effective for everyone. A lot of people say its intentions are meaningless. I strongly oppose those sentiments. For me, this film goes above and beyond achieving its goals. This is a resonant, unsettling account of a human being who crumbles underneath the burdens of his life and submits to fate. It's not about the frontman of Nirvana. It is about isolation, depression, and most importantly it is about the dark corners of the human psyche.
This is probably my favorite Gus Van Sant film to date. After watching Last Days, it settles into the subconscious and imprints its haunting beauty in the memory of its viewers. Like a bleak, subtextual poem, the least this film should do for anyone is leave them thinking.
MY RATING: 5/5