Every decade has a transitional period, the time before that pivotal moment that defines the new decade and distinguishes it from the last. American pop music in the early 90s was no exception. It languished in the stale, formulaic offerings of the 80s until one song changed everything.
Nirvana’s 1991 single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” marked the birth of a new era in popular music. Soon after the song’s video hit the airwaves, the dominant genres of glam rock and dance pop gave way to the ascendance of “grunge.” As Nirvana’s frontman, Kurt Cobain was dragged along for the ride.
Cobain, a reluctant celebrity in life, was elevated to icon status upon his death. Gus Van Sant’s Last Days is a fictionalized account of the days preceding Cobain’s apparent suicide in 1994. The most surprising thing about this film is that it took 10 years to materialize. Despite the specter of litigation from Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, the near absence of films about Cobain is surprising.
Last Days marks the third and final installment of what director Van Sant refers to as his “death trilogy,” consisting of three interpretations of man’s isolation. In Gerry, two men are physically isolated when lost in the desert, while Elephant documents a tragedy resulting from the social isolation of two teenagers. Last Days attempts to convey the loneliness and despair of a rock star whose superficial social status masks his growing mental isolation.
Van Sant’s minimalist approach strips away most of the elements of a conventional story. Dialogue and a linear plot structure are sacrificed in an attempt to achieve an emotional purity. This technique has worked with varying levels of success in the previous films but ultimately fails in Last Days.
The film follows Blake (Michael Pitt), a rock musician, as he leaves rehab and meanders to his crumbling mansion, a perfect setting for his disintegration. It soon becomes apparent that many people are trying to track Blake down. A series of encounters and phone calls illustrate his disillusionment from his “friends,” many of whom seem only interested in convincing Blake to do things for their benefit.
Article comments
1 - Federico
I just need to know the name of the song that is played on their pages!!! www.lastdaysmovie.com
if you could help me on this, It will be very good, thanks for everithing!!
2 - K. Wilson
It is "From Death to Birth," which was written by Michael Pitt (who played Blake in the film).
3 - anyone
I want an hour and a half of my life back!!! This movie moved me so much I had to write. And by moved me I mean moved me to serve my duty as a human being to tell everyone how phucking god awful horrible this movie is. Wait, can you really even call it a movie? An hour and a half of my dog sleeping and farting from time to time has a tremendous amount more substance then this piece of shit! I hope the maker of this film takes a hint from kurt and does away with himself proper.
4 - Ian Cooper
Another thought-inspiring minimalist masterpiece from Van Sant. Not quite the movie Elephant was, and it will certainly bore to tears the superficial folks brought up to expect blockbusters from Hollywood. But this film does leave you thinking, which is what great works of art should do.