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Last Days (2005)
Starring Michael Pitt, Lukas Haas, Asia Argento, and Ricky Jay. Cinematography by Harris Savides. Edited by Gus Van Sant. Produced by Dany Wolf. Written and Directed by Gus Van Sant.
Blake has escaped from his chaotic rock and roll lifestyle to a big, quiet house tucked away in the woods. Though the house is filled with friends, he spends most of his time avoiding them. Feeling isolated and lonely, Blake struggles with his personal demons alone… in the woods, in the kitchen, in his room. He drifts from place to place until finally finding his peace in the greenhouse.
The seed that would become Last Days first planted itself inside the head of filmmaker Gus Van Sant in 1996. The original scenario was as simple tracking a young boy’s mundane actions as he aimlessly wandered through his day. He would eat, watch television, write, wander outside, and dodge the telephone. At a crucial point in the film’s gestation, this basic idea merged itself with the suicide of Nirvana front-man Kurt Cobain.
Van Sant had met Cobain just once in the early 1990s. He later introduced the rock icon to beat poet William S. Burroughs Jr., which resulted in a short collaborative album titled “The Priest They Called Him”. Though he barely knew him, Van Sant was deeply affected by Cobain’s death and at one time considered constructing a biopic about his life.
But somewhere along the extended developmental process Van Sant decided that a speculative interpretation of the final days of his life felt more appropriate (and would also keep him away from any potential legal barriers). Though the plot is fictional, and the names have been changed, the central character is, in more than just essence, Kurt Cobain. Van Sant has dedicated Last Days to his memory.
Last Days wraps up an informal trilogy of films. Along with Gerry and Elephant, Last Days came during a time when Van Sant was re-exploring his independent filmmaking roots. All three films are inspired from true events that have provided more questions than answers. The three pictures also deal with death, albeit in three distinctly different ways.
And like the two films before it, Last Days was produced with minimal focus on story structure or dialog. In fact, the script that Van Sant assembled for the production was less than forty pages long. He relied instead on his actor’s genuine emotions and improvisational skills to form the idea. Van Sant shot Last Days in sequence over four weeks and used the weekends to edit as he went.
The film plays out like a melancholy dream, with no narrative or conventional plotline to follow. The viewer is only offered random events to help decipher the characters and their motives. Last Days can be an effective film for those who can find the patients for it, but be forewarned of the unconventional style and unhurried pace.
Budget: $???
Total US Gross: $454,711
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 97 Minutes
US Release Date: 7/22/05
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Awards: Cannes Film Festival: Won the Technical Grand Prize. Nominated for the Golden Palm.
Tagline: none
Quote: “It’s a long, lonely journey from death to birth...”
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