Some would say that "Last Days" is definitely not a movie for everyone, and that some may find it way too avant-garde to even consider it a movie. This would be the case if even the slightest amount of effort went into actually telling a story. I've seen countless avant-garde films. And of course they're all intriguing in some way. However, with the slightest bit of brainpower, it's easy to figure out that "Last Days" is as pretentious as a movie can possibly get.
The movie is based on Kurt Cobain's last 48 hours before he committed suicide by shooting himself. Yes, Gus Van Sant's take on a trilogy about death is very interesting, and the first two installments, "Gerry" and "Elephant" are often credited as 'future of film-making'. Of course, "Elephant" being far more superior. The Cannes Golden Palme winner in 2003 instantly blew me away with the use of realism and minimalism to create an unidentifiable movement in the film. What worked for "Elephant" though is that it had some drive, it had that unique quality to it, that surreal juxtaposition of the foreshadowing plot and visual subtlety. In "Last Days" though, it almost fails to determine the motive and the drive. There is absolutely nothing that keeps you watching, and the very mellow feel of the film nearly puts you to sleep.
In one almost painful scene, a long panning shot shows an outside window of the house at which Blake (Michael Pitt) is in playing instruments. The shot is nearly 8 minutes long with absolutely no point. What we see in that shot is an entire sequence of bizarre sounds that supposedly come from Blake's head. The rest of the movie is like one long mime act. Blake doesn't speak, but mumbles, he dresses in women's clothing and points a gun at people at which point they're unable to figure out what happened. The scenes in which Blake is high are unwatchable. Not because it's disturbing, but because it takes the word "slow" to a whole new level. Yes, we want to feel that Blake can't function properly because of the amount of drugs he's taken in, but there are other, more effective ways to go about with this.
Gus Van Sant wants us not to focus on one aspect of the film, but to ask questions. What will happen next? Why am I watching this? Where is this going? Quite frankly, I didn't care. I just wanted it to end. Even in the very first scene, we look at Blake as if he's some sort of caveman with no desire to live. He's torn by the pressures of living in the spotlight. Yes, we get it, Kurt Cobain offed himself because of that, but did he really run around a forest and his house like he's never seen civilization? And if not, what purpose does this serve? Apart from the slow and almost non-advancing plot, there are a few things in the movie that really work. For example, the use of repeated scenes from different angles at different sequences is a really good way of keeping whatever attention is left in the viewer. Also, the sound is brilliant. The non-diegetic turns to diegetic in another scene, and the frequent use of weird sound effects really helps the whole minimalistic style of the movie.
But to say this is a movie of any desperation or hope is a big mistake. Not only does it shell itself from submission into normality, but it also proves that filmmakers can sometimes go overboard with avant-garde or experimental directing. "Last Days" is a film that above all others raises the bar of obscurity. It's not something that should ever be influential nor should it be duplicated. My guess is from the fame that brought him from "Elephant", Van Sant's next step was to create something ridiculously awful.
The movie is based on Kurt Cobain's last 48 hours before he committed suicide by shooting himself. Yes, Gus Van Sant's take on a trilogy about death is very interesting, and the first two installments, "Gerry" and "Elephant" are often credited as 'future of film-making'. Of course, "Elephant" being far more superior. The Cannes Golden Palme winner in 2003 instantly blew me away with the use of realism and minimalism to create an unidentifiable movement in the film. What worked for "Elephant" though is that it had some drive, it had that unique quality to it, that surreal juxtaposition of the foreshadowing plot and visual subtlety. In "Last Days" though, it almost fails to determine the motive and the drive. There is absolutely nothing that keeps you watching, and the very mellow feel of the film nearly puts you to sleep.
In one almost painful scene, a long panning shot shows an outside window of the house at which Blake (Michael Pitt) is in playing instruments. The shot is nearly 8 minutes long with absolutely no point. What we see in that shot is an entire sequence of bizarre sounds that supposedly come from Blake's head. The rest of the movie is like one long mime act. Blake doesn't speak, but mumbles, he dresses in women's clothing and points a gun at people at which point they're unable to figure out what happened. The scenes in which Blake is high are unwatchable. Not because it's disturbing, but because it takes the word "slow" to a whole new level. Yes, we want to feel that Blake can't function properly because of the amount of drugs he's taken in, but there are other, more effective ways to go about with this.
Gus Van Sant wants us not to focus on one aspect of the film, but to ask questions. What will happen next? Why am I watching this? Where is this going? Quite frankly, I didn't care. I just wanted it to end. Even in the very first scene, we look at Blake as if he's some sort of caveman with no desire to live. He's torn by the pressures of living in the spotlight. Yes, we get it, Kurt Cobain offed himself because of that, but did he really run around a forest and his house like he's never seen civilization? And if not, what purpose does this serve? Apart from the slow and almost non-advancing plot, there are a few things in the movie that really work. For example, the use of repeated scenes from different angles at different sequences is a really good way of keeping whatever attention is left in the viewer. Also, the sound is brilliant. The non-diegetic turns to diegetic in another scene, and the frequent use of weird sound effects really helps the whole minimalistic style of the movie.
But to say this is a movie of any desperation or hope is a big mistake. Not only does it shell itself from submission into normality, but it also proves that filmmakers can sometimes go overboard with avant-garde or experimental directing. "Last Days" is a film that above all others raises the bar of obscurity. It's not something that should ever be influential nor should it be duplicated. My guess is from the fame that brought him from "Elephant", Van Sant's next step was to create something ridiculously awful.