Last night I watched Last Days by Gus Van Sant. I had no interest in it when it came out. Seeing it occasionally in the DVD store for some reason made me more and more interested in seeing it. It’s very cinematic with little to no dialogue and almost no talking to speak of. The cinematography is quite beautiful and the stunning sound design really carries the visuals well.
I like the way it communicates through absences. Blake, the fictionalised Kurt Cobain character, says almost nothing. Often he wanders off screen. Sound and scenic visuals gently remain. Other characters talk over him or give up on him and walk around him as he withdraws more and more. When he’s not ignoring people he’s running away and hiding from those looking for him. It’s a very sad situation. But the film communicates this kind of emotional state nicely.
The end is understated. His suicide is not shown. He is just found. Everything goes on without him. The one odd bit that I thought was silly was that they did this cheesy spirit-leaving-the-body thing. It looked a bit like a Christian enactment from an old painting and was out of place with the rest of the film. Perhaps they were trying to push the martyr interpretation common with some fans and pop media. But this is lame and flat in this context. I prefer David LaChapelle’s parody with Courtney Love as Virgin Mary and Kurt as dead Jesus Christ. It does a better job of humour.