Review of Last Days (2014) by Christian C — 03 Aug 2012

Gus Van Sant's Last Days won't attract many viewers, the fact is, to many people it would be very unentertaining, and only few would consider it a wonderful experience. You either love it or completely reject it, though I'm a bit in the middle. There are some parts that I love, some parts that I like, and some parts I think weren't good.

This is an underrated work from Gus Van Sant. Last Days is the last part in his "Death Trilogy," which includes "Gerry" and "Elephant." This film concerns Gus Van Sant's meditation on Kurt Cobain's last days, though it was never a pure biography about him nor there was any character carrying his name, he is a big influence on this film and on the main character, Blake.

Though I haven't seen the first two films, I became interested with this film, aside from having a taste for films that just wanders with its alienated character into nowhere, I'm also a huge fan of Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain is one of the few people that inspired me. It's hard for me not to think that he is Blake in here, everything is just perfectly characterized and displayed. Michael Pitt is rightly cast as Blake, he gave an excellent performance, he mimicked Kurt flawlessly.

Last Days is minimalist in style, like I said many viewers will find it boring. Blake is a rock star, he has a drug addiction that will eventually kill him, and he spends most of his last days with himself right after he escaped rehab, just like Kurt. He's got nothing to do but to just roam around in and out of a mansion he calls home, and avoids contact from other people that would only talk to him if they needed him with something, and he doesn't respond very well. There's no connection in this film, people seems boring and always talking nonsense, Blake would rather talk to himself about something we don't understand. Sometimes it's chilling to watch Blake because he reminisce Kurt.

It is not clear to me if whether he committed suicide or just unexpectedly whimpers off his addiction. There is a great scene here, where we see Blake's soul come out of his lying body and instead of descending into heaven, it climbed up. This is more of an experiment than a biography to Van Sant, who directed critical acclaimed films such as "Good Will Hunting," "Drugstore Cowboy," and "Milk." He preferred distant shots than close-ups, and is reluctant in showing Blake's face.

It is a long pointless ninety-minute journey to many, but just like what Blake said in one of the lyrics of his song (a great song performed and composed by Michael Pitt himself) "It's a long lonely journey from death to birth.".