Last Night (Reviewed on Oct. 25/98)
Starring Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie, Sandra Oh
"Last Night" could have an "AKA" tagged on the end of it that says, "It's the end of the world, and we feel fine".
"Last Night" is about just that. The last night of planet earth's existence. The world is going to end at precisely midnight, January 1st, 2000. How scientists were so accurately able to predict when this catastrophic event would occur is never explained. Nor is the event itself. Throughout the entire movie, no explanation is given as to why this is happening. In doing this, McKellar (who also wrote and directed the film) seems to be trying to transcend the genre. He's attempted to make a film about people, and how each of them deals with their last night of life. The film contains no science fiction elements, which allows the viewer to concentrate on the feelings and actions of the characters. McKellar is largely successful in his attempt to rise above his material.
The film is set in Toronto, and follows several people in their various escapades on the last night of existence. There's McKellar, who plays a man who just wants to be alone when the moment occurs, but keeps getting interrupted by a woman (Sandra Oh) in search of her husband. Her husband, played by David Cronenberg, is spending the day working at the gas company, informing people that they will attempt to keep providing gas right up until the end. Finally, there's McKellar's friend, played by Callum Keith Rennie, a man who has spent his final months trying out every sexual perversion you can think of.
McKellar has crafted a gang of the some of the most interesting characters I've seen in a film in months. These people all felt real to me, especially the character played by Sandra Oh. We can see her desperation, her utter need to be with her husband in the final hours. Rennie is good, too, as the man who wants to literally try everything before he dies. He exudes such charm and likeablity, it's not surprising that we're rooting for him to get what he wants. But for me, the biggest surprise in the movie is McKellar. I knew that he was a talented director, but I had no idea he could act as well. His insistence to be alone, much to the dismay of his parents, is something that most people would find difficult to understand, but as played by McKellar, we can understand his reasons. He doesn't buy into the whole notion that just because everyone's going to die, he should immediately find some companionship. He realizes the relationship would be forced, and they would only be together for the sake of being together. McKellar gives a brilliant performance, and I hope he alternates between directing and acting.
My only quibble with the film is that we never find out why the world is ending. I really wanted to know, and my need to know was hanging over the film at all times. I appreciate the fact that McKellar didn't want the material to rule the film, and that he wanted the movie to be more of a study in human behavious. However, in not telling the audience what the cause of earth's destruction is, he's left a big question that is in their minds throughout the film. Another problem is we never see anybody panicking. I would imagine if the world was ending, and there was nothing to be done about it, a large segment of the population would be going out of their minds. Instead, we are treated to shots of a giant crowd partying like it's New Year's Eve. I just didn't buy the fact that everyone had completely accepted their fate. No one had the urge to "rage against the dying of the light".
Despite these small problems, "Last Night" is one of the best movies of the year. As opposed to the moronic "Armageddon", "Last Night" treats the subject at hand with maturity and believabilty. And Bruce Willis never shows up to save the day.
***1/2 out of ****
-- David Nusair dnusair@chat.carleton.ca Come visit my "Reel Film Reviews" site! "http://chat.carleton.ca/~dnusair"
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