Last Days (2005)

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer (WGA):

Gus Van Sant (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Rock and roll will never die.

Plot:

A Seattle-set rock & roll drama about a musician whose life and career is reminiscent of Kurt Cobain's.

Plot Keywords:

House | Woods | Song | Kurt Cobain | Yellow Pages

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Michael Pitt	...	Blake
Lukas Haas	...	Luke
Asia Argento	...	Asia
Scott Patrick Green	...	Scott (as Scott Green)
Nicole Vicius	...	Nicole
Ricky Jay	...	Detective
Ryan Orion	...	Donovan
Harmony Korine	...	Guy in Club
Rodrigo Lopresti	...	Band in Club (as The Hermitt)
Kim Gordon	...	Record Executive
Adam Friberg	...	Elder Friberg #1
Andy Friberg	...	Elder Friberg #2
Thadeus A. Thomas	...	Yellow Book Salesman
Chip Marks	...	Tree Trimmer
Kurt Loder	...	TV Voiceover (voice)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

97 min | Argentina:97 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Nova Scotia) | Argentina:16 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:12 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Garrison, New York, USA

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

The song "Last Days" which is mumbled by Michael Pitt was written by Pitt himself.

Goofs:

Factual errors: One of the LDS missionaries that visits the house is wearing a light blue shirt. LDS missionaries are only permitted to wear non-decorative white shirts with dark pants/suits, and a conservative tie. The missionaries also carried no pamphlets, visual aids, appointment books, or their own complete sets of scriptures, which is highly unlikely for door-to-door proselytizing.

Quotes:

Record Executive: Have you uh, talked to your daughter? Hmm.
Blake: Hmm. Yeah I've been talking to her on the phone.
Record Executive: What do you say to her?
Blake: Hmm-mm. I do the voices she likes. I don't know. I tell her I miss her.

Movie Connections:

References "Walker, Texas Ranger" (1993)

Soundtrack:

La Guerre

Rock star's last days, lost, desperate, & alone, beautifully filmed

Gus Van Sant, just as he had done in Gerry and in Elephant, has taken a real-life mystery, and filled in some of the trivial missing parts with his imagination. I haven't seen Gerry or Elephant, but this time he has created a masterpiece.

The movie follows Blake, an isolated young rebel, who is a "rock-and-roll cliché", during the last days of his life. We see him mumbling to himself, and he seems incoherent, unable to stay awake. He is constantly running away, pursued by everyone, but unable to face his obligations. He is dragging himself through life.

The atmosphere of the whole movie is determined by the characters' state of mind. Every single element conveys the despair and pointlessness of Blake's existence, and the blurry thoughts that might be going through his brain. But these ugly days are filmed with an unsympathetic, contemplative and poetic eye. Every shot has the rare beauty of a renaissance painting. All the other elements fit together in perfect harmony: the music, the sounds that have no apparent source but the inside of Blake's head, and Michael Pitt's song "From Death to Birth" sent shivers down my back. The song, and all the actors' performances are authentic, personal and uncompromising.

Another thing: it was a very pleasant surprise to see a movie about the death of a rock star that's not filled with trashy violence aimed to shock and move viewers.

Forget about who Kurt Cobain was, and about his legend, this movie is not about him. Forget about the critics and the Cannes Film Festival, it's not about them either. Last days is a sincere and personal movie by people who apparently respect Kurt's memory. At least enough to tell a touching and aesthetic story inspired by his ordeal.