Last Days review

Directed by

Gus Van Sant
Featured cast

  • Michael Pitt (Blake)

  • Lukas Haas (Luke)
Ratings / Reviews

ratbag's review

"Last Days" is a film inspired by the last days of Kurt Cobain. It is not recommended for everybody, as most people will not be able to tolerate the slow, lethargic pace of the movie. It is not a terrible movie, but it is one that requires the audience to allow themselves to be immersed into the disorienting, detached world of the protagonist.

I believe the dragging pace of the film is to allow us to feel like Blake. His drugged life is tiring, and the people around him are tiresome -- either demanding money, or attention. We see Blake falling asleep all over the place, in mid-conversation, while preparing a meal, etc. and at times I think the audience felt the same way.

At the end of the movie, when Blake is found dead, and his soul is seen slowly climbing upwards, we feel the same release, as we are finally allowed to leave our seats ...

Yes, we all know Michael Pitt is talented, etc. He even wrote his own song for this film. Lukas Haas, the little Amish kid in "Witness" (and also seen in "Mars Attacks!") dons a pair of thick plastic glasses to achieve that ultra-dork look.

Out of Gus' trilogy of similarly themed films about aimless death ("Gerry", "Elephant" and "Last Days"), I think "Elephant" would probably be his best.

aelst's review

A frazzled dude lives in a nice castle/house with a bunch of indie people. They don't really talk to him because he is too weird. Half the movie is him mumbling about crap and falling down. There's a lot of background noise too, maybe it's to add to his craziness.

Kim Gordon appears as his mum, which is great if you like Sonic Youth. They also play a Lou Reed record.

A dead body falls off a stretcher, but other than that, this movie is a waste of time.

Apparently this movie is about Kurt Cobain, but didn't he die from a shotgun?

1 star for 10 seconds of Kim Gordon.