In respect to the film's concern with the primitive, one could draw parallels with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Of course, while Blake goes in pursuit of pure expression against forces of normalization, Dave goes in pursuit of life itself against the forces of human ingenuity. These are journeys that can only be taken alone.

The aesthetics of this film, like others of the genre, do tend to minimize the amount of time spent on interaction between people in favour of scenes of mere moving around. What this does is give us the chance to be alone with our own thoughts and empathize with the internal struggle going on within the protagonist. Interestingly enough though, whenever films within this genre concern female protagonists, there tends to be more hope for the individual by the end of the story.

Charlotte in Lost in Translation might have lost contact with a new friend, but she is left with hope of seeing Bob again. Amelie inadvertently finds someone while vicariously experiencing other people's joy. In each case there is a tendency to neglect the self through caution, while in the case of masculine protagonists, there is a tendency to neglect the self in pursuit of some other purpose, be it “justice” in Taxi Driver and Mad Max or companionship in Broken Flowers.

Perhaps this is related to the way that work and long-term goals are defined as masculine pursuits. I was reading a fascinating article recently about how the telephone came to be feminized before it became relied upon in business, and that hacker culture is very masculine in how it emphasizes skills and mastery.

Last Days definitely shows a clear-cut distinction between masculine and feminine. How Blake approaches his music tends to emphasize skill and genius with other people inclined to ask advice for how to compose, and he dedicates everything to it despite the many opportunities to return to humanity. The women in the film might well have their own minds, but they are presented as finding their identity beside men rather than in their own right.

Of course, language has a long history of shaping our mythologies and traditions like these. But as the film shows, when we return to the primitive, as Blake does, we stand to lose both our social baggage and who we are.