Product: Last Days (2 Disc Special Edition)
Rating: 3.0
A Mixed Bag
There's a slow prodding movement to the tragedy portrayed in this film. I appreciate that Gus Van Sant took the time and used his imagination to produce a possible view of Cobain's end. That said, I think the character "Blake" falls short of capturing the tortured life of Cobain.Van Sant's distant shots of Pitt are worth while as, like in an intentionally slightly out of focus work of photography, the image allows the viewer to reflect and imbue it with subtle indirect connections. This quality does well to set up an expectation of Blake as a self-sacrificing Jesus, with the potential to lead his flock out of (or maybe just to confront) the meaningless of a meaningless world. The problem is that, Van Sant does not deliver. Blake's mumbling (not completely unlike Cobain, but more reminiscent of REM's Michael Stipe) can't be accepted as a substitute for actual dialogue. One realizes that Van Sant wants to maintain the illusion of a Cobain-like presence, but what we end up with is little more than a ghost of a person. The music, while atmospheric and intriguing, produces the same absence. Thank God, by the way, the video included on the DVD was not included in the film itself -- it disrupts any Cobain/Nirvana vibe Van Sant might have achieved, and is downright embarrassing.On a positive note, I do like seeing Cobain portrayed by the use of simple detailed activities. I think watching him fumble about is more successful in representing a person capable of somehow finding the unique in the mundane, rather than painting him as a genius breaking down. Van Sant suggests but never actually shows us the character's excesses. I'm not sure this works to the advantage of developing the character, but it does reinforce the image of Blake/Cobain as being someone special. Blake's relationship is with his art, not his celebrity. A more typical film about a more typical rock star would have nothing else to do but concentrate on the excesses.