Product: Last Days (2 Disc Special Edition)
Rating: 2.0
Dreary
Gus Van Sant is a difficult and unpredictable director. He can pull off a quirky dramatic masterpiece like "My Own Private Idaho", or a hilarious, deranged satire like "Die To For" with equal aplomb. With "Elephant", he created an ingeniously naturalistic style that made the Columbine-like climax to the film even more powerful. Sadly, that same naturalistic style does not work nearly as well in "Last Days". By depicting a series of tedious, excruciating moments leading up to the suicide of rock star "Blake" (Kurt Cobain), the film does do a good job of showing the mental state of someone who has clearly given up on life and detached themselves from their surroundings. However, it's not particularly engrossing for the viewer to watch. Michael Pitt inhabits the character beautifully, with his sad eyes, mumbling speech, and defiant laziness. It's just that he never really gets the chance to do much that's interesting, other than wear a woman's nightgown or a pair of spacey sunglasses. The most beautiful scene in the film is when Blake's ghost slips out of his corpse and climbs an invisible ladder into the next life. It gives both the character and the audience an opportunity to escape from his dreary, lonely world.