Film Reviews

Last Days

• Rating:
• Director: Gus Van Sant.
• Starring: Michael Pitt, Lukas Haas, Asia Argento, Scott Green.
• Details: US / 97 mins (15A).

To all intents and purposes - i.e., names have been changed to protect the makers from being sued by one Courtney Love - the last days of the title are those of Kurt Cobain. Blake (Pitt) is a rock musician, hiding out in a remote, sprawling country house high in the mountains; with his blonde straggly hair, his penchant for Dennis the Menace sweaters and his feedback-ravaged guitar riffs, Blake is the Nirvana frontman in all but name. The narrative meanders in synch with Blake's mental processes, which appear to be the addled delusions of an acid-tripping 7-year-old: he strolls in the woods, skinny-dips in a river, dresses up in women's clothes, wanders around the house with a rifle over his shoulder, eats bowls of cereal and occasionally interacts with his fellow band members - all of whom are impatient to crack on with the serious business of partying and sleeping with one another. The outward appearance of Last Days is that of a character study, and it's obvious that Gus Van Sant has constructed his film with meticulous care, but the single-camera takes are frustratingly long, particularly given the lack of information they convey. The art of filmmaking is in making the unseen visible, and the combination of Blake's shades, straggly hair, impenetrable mumbling and general aura of incoherent slackerism means that the camera - and by extension the audience - is held at arm's length throughout. Here we are now, entertain us? If I want to watch a collection of wack-jobs, nutbags and flakes doing sweet f.a. for two hours straight, I'll watch Liverpool FC.

Review by Declan Burke