Last Night

As you might guess from the title, Last Night is an examination of the last night on Earth, as imagined by writer-director-actor Don McKellar (who looks and acts like a cross between Andy Garcia and John Cusack). In funereal terms it's part eulogy and part wake, a poignant look at the full extent of human nature and an affirmation of life in the face of impending and absolute death. I wouldn't call it a depressing film, it actually has a lot of humour in it althought it's not actually a comedy. The humour comes as an extension of the human experience - it's everything our real lives are and with all the possibilities and emotions of which we're capable.

The world is ending at midnight and Last Night charts the last six hours of life for a small group of interconnected characters in Toronto, Canada. Our protagonists are Sandra (Sandra Oh), a newlywed who is having difficulty getting back home after her car is destroyed, and Patrick (Don McKeller), a slightly myopic widower who wants to spend his last night alone. Their paths cross as the night ticks away and their fates intertwine as it becomes impossible for Sandra to get home in time to be with her husband (played by famed director David Cronenberg in one of his occasional acting roles). Other characters include Patrick's friend Craig (Callum Keith Rennie), who is working his way through a to-do list of diverse sexual partners, and Donna (Tracy Wright), a lonely woman who works for a gas company.

Unlike a lot of other apocalyptic films, the emphasis here is on the human drama scenarios that would play out in the event that humanity came to the realisation that the world would suddenly end. There aren't any special effects and there aren't any explanations as to why or how the world is ending (one clue though is that the sun is still up at midnight). Most of all, there's no way out for any of these characters and they all know it, which means we can move past the boring hysteria and get to the juicy stuff - what would you do if you knew the world was soon about to end? Everything you could pretty much imagine (murder, sex, suicide, love, fame) gets covered in this film and we get to see the best and worst aspects humanity. The scenario puts people into situations they wouldn't normally be in and doing things they wouldn't normally do, ever. A lack of consequences is a real game changer, and as a result (in the case of Last Night) the audience never quite knows what's going to happen next.

At first I thought this film was just going to be a series of twisted comedy sketches working off a shared theme, but the film builds into something a lot more affecting and vulnerable. It's dark but there's a strange humour in it that paints a melancholic and absurd portrait of human futility, bravado and resignation. Best of all, Last Night also manages to completely avoid coming across as pretentious. It feels realistic both in terms of the performances and the scripting. Sandra Oh is fantastic and Rennie is amusingly earnest as a man on a sex-mission. The only weak point is probably McKellar's leading turn... I'm not familiar with any of his other work but judging from this film I'd say his strength lies more in writing and directing, his performance felt to me like it was too underplayed. That aside though, this is a fantastic film.

DIRECTOR: Don McKellar
WRITER/SOURCE: Don McKellar
KEY ACTORS: Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, Callum Keith Rennie, Sarah Polley, Genevieve Bujold, Tracy Wright, David Cronenberg

RELATED TEXTS:
- Don McKeller first came to notice for writing the script to the film Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould.
- Other films about the end of the world include: Miracle Mile, The Quiet Earth and Testament.
- Also see the 1980s TV miniseries The Day After.

AWARDS
Cannes Film Festival - won Award of the Youth.