Last Night (1999) Reviewed by Eugene Novikov http://www.ultimate-movie.com/ Member: Online Film Critics Society
Starring Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, David Cronenberg. Directed by Don McKellar. Rated R.
The end of the world is here, but in Canadian director Don McKellar's feature debut Last Night, there are no Satans, no comets, no astronauts and no heroes (well, in the traditional sense of the word). It's a thoughtful, affecting film, one that pulls no punches and plays no tricks. This isn't an f/x production and those expecting action would do well to stay away; this is for those who would like a quiet apocalyptic vision for a change. This is not about the end of the world as a concept -- we never find out why the world is ending or how everyone knows it's ending -- but about how real, normal people deal with it and what they do in the last six hours of their lives.
McKellar, who wrote The Red Violin for François Girard, casts himself here as Patrick Wheeler, an average, reasonably happy man (though his previous wife died of cancer) who has decided that he wants to spend his last six hours at home alone, quietly. His parents are pissy that he doesn't want to spend the time with his family -- but family dinners can be boring even on the last day of your life, and Patrick has no intention of putting himself through it. He is adamant that these hours will be his.
But along comes Sandra (Sandra Oh), who has lost her car to doomsday raiders (read: those who want to take advantage of the apocalypse to commit no-consequence crimes, thereby letting their anger out) and is looking for her husband, who seems to have disappeared. She comes to Patrick's door in desperation, begging to use his phone, not knowing where else to go. He reluctantly lets her in. Her husband doesn't answer. They start talking. Patrick soon finds out why she is so desperate to find her husband and what is in that mysterious case she is carrying: she and her hubby made a pact to shoot each other right before the world ends.
In a seemingly unrelated plot line, a gas company employee spends his last hours calling each of his customers assuring them that he will "make every effort to keep their gas flowing right up until the end." Patrick's friend wants to realize every sexual fantasy he's ever had -- including, but certainly not limited to sex with his teacher and sex with another man (he propositions Patrick). Meanwhile, those who decided to party their brains out on the last day, party on.
Last Night has more than its share of humor and it's even being marketed as half-comedic, when in fact, it epitomizes poignancy. This lies in the characters. David Cronenberg's gas company employee is one of the year's saddest, most touching characters; even more impressive considering how little screen time he was granted. Sandra Oh's Sandra is devastating as a woman who refuses to let the world take her life. Patrick seems to be the only content character on screen, but even he has undertones of sadness. The movie isn't a weep-fest or a melodrama because it's too good for either genre and because it ends with a decisive touch of hope and redemption.
The sex-fantasy subplot may be a bit too "out there" for a film otherwise so subdued that even I felt like screaming "BIG BANG!" at the screen sometimes. But it tends to balance out well and I can't call the film uneven. Actually, it's quite the opposite: most of the movie is hypnotic in its relentless stability and calmness. The antidote to End of Days, Last Night is the patient person's Armageddon.
The key to the movie is that we don't know how or why the world is ending. The only information we are given is that for the past few weeks (months?), the sun has stayed up 24/7, the cell phones haven't worked and the government has closed up shop. No explanation is ever provided. This maybe frustrating to some -- even I admit to wanting something concrete at points -- but it is the reason this movie succeeds. Providing an answer to logistical questions would have diverted attention from the movie's main focus, which is hardly the end of the world in and of itself.
McKellar's directorial debut is entertaining, deeply moving, dignified and the all-important ending is just perfect. Seeing Last Night the same week as End of Days made me realize how important it is to be able to see films produced outside of the American Hollywood movie-mill, especially those from north of the border.
Grade: A-
©1999 Eugene Novikov
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