Access Atlanta > Movies > Blog > Archives > 2005 > May > 13 > Entry
“Last Days” on Friday the 13th, and other warming notions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today started off with a real bang and tapered off ever so gently. This morning, not only did I eat a breakfast, I ate the kind of breakfast that your mother forces you to eat when you’re a kid and you’ve got a really important day at school.
Then it was time to head off to the Grand Lumiere for the screening of Gus Van Sant’s new film, “Last Days.” The movie was inspired by the mystery behind the last few days of Kurt Cobain’s life—though the filmmakers are quick to point out that the key words are “inspired by” and their account is fictional. For those who don’t know, Nirvana frontman Cobain “allegedly” committed suicide in 1994.
I arrived only a few minutes before the movie began and was lucky enough to find a good seat in the middle—now, this is important. In the labyrinth known as the Grand Lumiere, one can easily get lost among the 4,000 seats, or worse—end up in a neck-breaking acoustical nightmare along the sides.
Expectations were high after Van Sant’s “Elephant,” though with “Elephant” the expectations were low because I really couldn’t make heads or tails out of “Gerry.” These three films are all esthetically linked and I would even venture to say that “Last Days” in the stylistic culmination of everything Van Sant learned from his previous two films.
Michael Pitt (from “The Dreamers” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) plays Blake—a Cobain-esque rocker who’s basically spaced out of his mind, despressed and alone despite being surrounded by a bunch of moochers. It doesn’t take Nick Charles to figure out where this story’s heading…
Van Sant’s treatment of the subject is the real surprise though, since we basically know what the outcome will be (please refer to the title: “LAST DAYS”). He went into production with a 35 page screenplay, but had no problems from the producers at HBO films since his Palme d’Or winning “Elephant” had only a twenty page screenplay which was basically just a comprehensive shot list with sprinkles of dialogue. (Note: A normal Hollywood screenplay usually averages 120 pages.)
It’s got about as little dialogue as “Gerry” with some dolly shots straight out of “Elephant,” minus the bright colors, courtesy of cinematographer Harris Savides. The film is stripped down cinema—long takes, improvisation, minimal dialogues, and simple (but nice) compositions. Pitt’s performance is mesmorizing and even if it takes a few minutes to get into the movie, it’s worth it. As a huge Nirvana fan for the last fifteen years (has it been that long?) I can safely say that I thought the film was a poignant meditation on the emotional turmoil Cobain might have been dealing with during his “Last Days.”
I left the theater with shivers even under the blazing Mediterranean sun.
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