Product: Last Days (2 Disc Special Edition)
Rating: 4.0
An Anti-Biopic Not For Everyone
I was nine in 1994 when Kurt Cobain died. Nevermind was the first CD I ever owned and quickly became a fan when I became old enough to really appreciate music. Ever since, I've gone through my music phases as most people do, but Nirvana is still the first and the last.Over this past winter, a friend of mine told me that he had seen 'Elephant' and that he really enjoyed it, as much as anyone can enjoy a movie with such frank subject matter; so I gave 'Elephant' a chance. I watched it at 6:00 AM and was completely speechless. The style of the movie was so beautiful and so original that the film haunted me for weeks. So when I learned about Last Days, I could not wait to see it.I watched Last Days over this past weekend with my roommate, our friend, and his roommate. Being the only one that had seen 'Elephant', I was the only one that really knew what to expect from Last Days. However, at least three of us are Nirvana fans, so everyone else gave it a chance.From the beginning, there were grumblings. "The crackling of the fire is too loud" (I kid you not, this was actually said), "That scene was the most boring scene I've ever seen. This movie has no plot. There is no character development. What's with the gay scene?" and some other assorted gripes. When it was over, here's where we stood:My Roommate: Liked it.My Friend and his Roommate: "Worst movie ever"Me: Loved it.I was once again floored by Van Sant's vision. The beauty of the shots and the melancholy mood kept me more than interested. The scene that really stood out to me was the shot through the window where Blake plays every instrument, forming a one-man band. The beauty of the slow track and the feeling of isolation in this scene could not be put into words.I am not going to discount the gripes of my friends, however whether you like a movie or not, its best not to talk during it; but that's just me. The movie has no plot, this is true. It has no dialogue, this is also true. I would argue, however, that the character development was there, its just not spelled out for you. With as little as Blake talked, we knew who he was, his relationships with his friends, and how he felt; his actions spoke louder than any monologue could have.Blake is alone in the world he lives in; he is lost himself in drugs and celebrity and has no idea who he is or who is friends are. His friends are leeches. Not really caring about Blake, only that he remains their meal ticket. All interactions, albeit one-sided interactions, involve talks of money, jet heaters, and help on a song.The significance of Blake's lack of dialogue is the sense of irrelevance. A man on the brink of eventual suicide, physically and mentally destroyed by drugs, is probably not going to say anything too profound, especially in the state of depression Blake was in throughout. So why say anything at all? We'd like to think that someone as tortured as he was would go out with a noble bang. In reality, nobility would have no part and would go out in no more that a light whisper.This is NOT an Unofficial Biopic. This is an Anti-Biopic. All the sense of celebrity and greatness is stripped away and we see Blake in his most desperate days of his life: his last. He is a man who has involuntarily lost himself amid the celebrity and hates his life because of it. This is the essence of Last Days and Kurt Cobain himself. Cobain often renounced his celebrity, which was a factor to his career-long depression. I believe that this film stays true to this sentiment if Cobain approved any biopic, this or something similar would probably be it.This film will NOT be for everyone; this is an inescapable fact. It is an experimental narrative. Some will either be affected by this film or they won't. You might like this if:a) You like Elephantb) You like Nirvanac) You can get lost in tracking shots and beautiful cinematography.If you are looking for a By-the-book Biopic, this film is not for you. Not that there is anything wrong with you. If anything, you are in the majority.