Review of Last Days (2014) by Coy T — 13 Apr 2012
The often hypnotic portrait of a lost, isolated soul. Fantastic acting from Michael Pitt and an unconventional style of film making make this a piece of art which rewards patient viewers. Blake is a broken human being, a "rock and roll cliche", wandering without purpose and used by all those around him.
A living testament to the way fame, money and drug use can crush one down into a jaded ghost. It's a subdued performance, with most dialogue reduced to incoherent mumbling, but Pitt's body language paints a vivid picture.
The suicide which closes the film is not surprising but still effective in its stark realism. As Ebert said in his review, a drug user does not go out with a bang, but a whimper. Most of "Last Days" is a bleak chain of events leading up to that whimper, and then the credits roll, and the viewer is left wondering if anything could have saved him.
Blake and the man who inspired his creation, Kurt Cobain, were figures too sensitive for a world that drains those who have something to offer. It is almost a relief to see the nude spirit of Blake exit his body in one of the last shots of the film, climbing a window and leaving the scene.
One can only hope Cobain found such solace as well.
This review of Last Days (2014) was written by Coy T on 13 Apr 2012.
Last Days has generally received positive reviews.
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