"Last Days" may have to be considered on two levels.
As a film that pointedly denies it is based on the life of a famous rocker, it can be looked at on its own, without outside references or plot similarity expectations.
But the film is dedicated to Kurt Cobain, most of the plot points are taken from what is known about his last days, lead actor Michael Pitt's hair, body look, use of language and music are so eerily evocative of Cobain that it is difficult to not see it as a sort of concentrated bio pic or "J'Accuse" of who or what killed him.
So if I were unaware of the Cobain back story, the film seems to be a heartbreaking look at the ravages of mental illness, aggravated by drugs and pressures, as "Blake" looks and sounds like the muttering schizophrenics who scatter around NYC parks, reinforced by his plastic wristband from a "clinic," and though we never actually see the drug imbibing to easily blame his behavior on addiction.
Leslie Shatz's sensitive sound design is an equal partner with Pitt's performance in conveying "Blake"s mental state as almost auditory hallucinations of heightened senses (much more subtle than in a "A Beautiful Mind").
We see him first as prelapsarian figure, all his senses reveling in the clear air, water and fire of a woods, until the modern world intrudes with the symbolically redolent sounds of an airplane, train and church bells, calling him to fulfill his physical cravings. Dressing up in outfits ranging from a slip to a hunter complete with rifle, he actively avoids most human contact and is pretty much only lucid when writing or singing or creating music. His final moments are ambiguous but conveyed beautifully, a highlight of Harris Savides' crisp and lovely cinematography.
The second theme is its chilling look at the issue of human responsibility as everyone around "Blake" wants something from him and is oblivious to his fragility in their selfishness. He is approached by a Yellow Book salesman incongruously congratulating him on his success over the past year, his angry tour manager, a befuddled guest asking for songwriting help (an excellent Lukas Haas with owl-like glasses); a possibly hallucinated Kim Gordon nagging him about his daughter; talky detectives sent by "Blackie," possibly his wife who we only hear yelling on the phone, to hunt him down; and he just manages to avoid two Mormon missionaries.
His house mates are liars and bed hoppers just looking to avoid any ties or commitments, even if they are probably stoned, possibly reinforced by their grooving to a Velvet Underground song, and one seems to just disappear. Repeating scenes from different perspectives, as writer/director Gus Van Sant did in "Elephant," just makes them seem even more culpable in their neglect.
With real world references, there's amusing irony when "Blake" turns on the TV and a Boys II Men romantic video plays, perhaps commenting how absurd it was that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became an MTV staple.
Pitt doing his own songs acoustically recalls Cobain's "unplugged" take on Leadbelly's haunting "Where Did You Sleep Last Night."
At the very least, one certainly sees the depths of the anguish that produced Cobain's tortured music and suicide. If this is a tribute to Cobain, it is a sadly sympathetic one.
As a film that pointedly denies it is based on the life of a famous rocker, it can be looked at on its own, without outside references or plot similarity expectations.
But the film is dedicated to Kurt Cobain, most of the plot points are taken from what is known about his last days, lead actor Michael Pitt's hair, body look, use of language and music are so eerily evocative of Cobain that it is difficult to not see it as a sort of concentrated bio pic or "J'Accuse" of who or what killed him.
So if I were unaware of the Cobain back story, the film seems to be a heartbreaking look at the ravages of mental illness, aggravated by drugs and pressures, as "Blake" looks and sounds like the muttering schizophrenics who scatter around NYC parks, reinforced by his plastic wristband from a "clinic," and though we never actually see the drug imbibing to easily blame his behavior on addiction.
Leslie Shatz's sensitive sound design is an equal partner with Pitt's performance in conveying "Blake"s mental state as almost auditory hallucinations of heightened senses (much more subtle than in a "A Beautiful Mind").
We see him first as prelapsarian figure, all his senses reveling in the clear air, water and fire of a woods, until the modern world intrudes with the symbolically redolent sounds of an airplane, train and church bells, calling him to fulfill his physical cravings. Dressing up in outfits ranging from a slip to a hunter complete with rifle, he actively avoids most human contact and is pretty much only lucid when writing or singing or creating music. His final moments are ambiguous but conveyed beautifully, a highlight of Harris Savides' crisp and lovely cinematography.
The second theme is its chilling look at the issue of human responsibility as everyone around "Blake" wants something from him and is oblivious to his fragility in their selfishness. He is approached by a Yellow Book salesman incongruously congratulating him on his success over the past year, his angry tour manager, a befuddled guest asking for songwriting help (an excellent Lukas Haas with owl-like glasses); a possibly hallucinated Kim Gordon nagging him about his daughter; talky detectives sent by "Blackie," possibly his wife who we only hear yelling on the phone, to hunt him down; and he just manages to avoid two Mormon missionaries.
His house mates are liars and bed hoppers just looking to avoid any ties or commitments, even if they are probably stoned, possibly reinforced by their grooving to a Velvet Underground song, and one seems to just disappear. Repeating scenes from different perspectives, as writer/director Gus Van Sant did in "Elephant," just makes them seem even more culpable in their neglect.
With real world references, there's amusing irony when "Blake" turns on the TV and a Boys II Men romantic video plays, perhaps commenting how absurd it was that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became an MTV staple.
Pitt doing his own songs acoustically recalls Cobain's "unplugged" take on Leadbelly's haunting "Where Did You Sleep Last Night."
At the very least, one certainly sees the depths of the anguish that produced Cobain's tortured music and suicide. If this is a tribute to Cobain, it is a sadly sympathetic one.