Last Night (1998/I)

Director:

Don McKellar

Writer:

Don McKellar (written by)

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It's not the end of the world... there's still six hours left

Plot:

A group of very different individuals with different ideas of how to face the end come together as the world is expected to end in six hours at the turn of the century.

Plot Keywords:

End Of The World | Suicide Pact | Family Relationships | Gas Company | Streetcar

Awards:

12 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Don McKellar	...	Patrick Wheeler
Sandra Oh	...	Sandra
Roberta Maxwell	...	Mrs. Wheeler
Robin Gammell	...	Mr. Wheeler
Sarah Polley	...	Jennifer 'Jenny' Wheeler
Trent McMullen	...	Alex
Charmion King	...	Grandmother
Jessica Booker	...	Rose
David Cronenberg	...	Duncan
Tracy Wright	...	Donna
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Craig Zwiller
Karen Glave	...	Lily
Arsinée Khanjian	...	Streetcar Mother
Chandra Muszka	...	Streetcar Daughter
Geneviève Bujold	...	Mrs. Carlton

Also Known As:

Last Night (France)
Minuit (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and brief violence.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Canada | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Taiwan:R-18 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | France:U | Norway:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Trivia:

The part of Sandra was specifically written for Sandra Oh.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the early moments of the movie, when the car in up on it's bumper against the pole. The girl puts her keys in the door to unlock it and when the door opens, the bell goes off, to alert that the keys are in the ignition or that the lights are on. Neither is true.

Quotes:

Patrick Wheeler: [Bidding farewell] See you.
Craig Zwiller: No you won't.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I've Been Watching You (Move Your Sexy Body)

Haunting and Lovely

I found LAST NIGHT quite thought-provoking and moving the first time I saw it and its impact on me has only grown over time. This is an amazingly sophisticated and well-executed film for a first-time director. What I find thrilling about it is both the fine balance it finds between ideas and emotional resonance and its sense of tonal unity and control. The images and music have stayed with me for years. Despite the melancholic events of the story and the sense of loss that permeates the film (after all, we are talking about the end of the world here), a mordant sense of humour and finally a romantic, optimistic heart leavens the story's darkness, without pushing the movie into cheap sentimentality or melodrama (Armageddon, anyone?). All this and only one of the most memorable closing images in modern film! Seek it out. It's worth it.