The Last Island

It seems like a very routine castaway movie. A small group of survivors are on a deserted tropical island after a plane crash, where most other passengers have been killed. At first, they expect rescue will come quickly. After all, the plane will be noted as missing quickly, and where should be rather easy to discover. But one of the passengers cannot contact anyone on the plane's radio, only static on all channels. A mix of passengers, one skilled in botany, which is handy as they try to find edible foods. Another is a hunter, useful for getting animals for food. At first, once they realize rescue is not coming soon, they work together to build a large raft and set sail. As expected, a storm comes, tears the raft apart, and they wind up back on the island. And sort of boring. But what happens then makes for a much more interesting movie. One of the survivors, Nick, starts to get all 'godly'. He starts to throw down rules. He sees himself in charge. Since he ran out of ammo, he has set up traps in the jungle, and forbids anyone to enter. He starts to get preachy, and it is clear he feels that man has dominion over women, and women have no voice in the matter. Two of the survivors are gay, and that is an abomination to him. There is only one woman of childbearing age, and she is told it is her duty. Her answer if they are the last people on earth, then it is as good as lost. The movie is then not going the way most would think it would or should.

I suppose that good is a bit simplistic, but it describes what I thought of the movie. Never ever heard from it and being from 1990 already rather aged. In the beginning I was close to stop watching. Too many unrealistic and improbable actions. I can't go into details because that would give away too much (spoiler alert). Going into the second half, however, things became more interesting. I came away pleased with sitting it through. Someone remarked that there was a hidden feminist angle, which I can't agree on. Definitely, the movie took a swipe on fanatical and bigoted religious beliefs. I found it entertaining and thought-provoking.

Very good film from Dutch director Marleen Gorris, known for her Academy Award winning film "Antonia" (best foreign film, 1995) A few people are stranded on an isolated island somewhere in the Pacific after their plane crashed. Somehow (you know when you see it) they all find out that they are the last people on earth. The people are a mix of cultural differences: a gay, a military religious fanatic, a French man, a quite sexually disturbed young man, an old woman, a dog, See it...and ONE woman. Only leaves one question: Who spends the semen, to make human kind last for another x years? In the film this question is the main theme, and, when one thinks of it, a very hard ordeal. Not only for the men, who are kindly willing to spend it, but especially for the woman. All in all, a film from a females viewpoint but with a lot of things for men AND women to think about. A MUST to see, in my humble opinion. You will be astound with what will happen to this few people. See it....It's worth while...

The filmmaker's anti-religious feminist bias overshadows what could have been a fine movie.

Dutch director Marleen Gorris assembled a good cast, a solid enough script, and a solid visuals.

But back to that bias. Gorris has a rather pronounced bias towards religion. A bias fed by her astonishing ignorance of human behavior.

Humans have been fighting and mistreating each other since time immemorial. Religion did not create violence, prejudice or discrimination. Those traits existed before our species invented religion. Yet Gorris spends half of the film blaming religion for what comes natural to Man.

Another problem is the biologist seemingly unaware of the pointlessness of baby making. There isn't enough women to create a breed able population.

I've been trying to find this amazing film to watch it again. I'm surprised it didn't receive more recognition over the years. It was well made and had a very strong and interesting plot (no spoilers, ok). The acting was powerful and the characters varied and interesting.

It is one of these films you'd expect to be taught at film school, or at least some gender studies course, as the role of the woman in an apocalyptic scenario is the main topic in this case. It raises many interesting questions and makes you think about society in general. And tells you a lot about how people answered such questions in 1990 (even that in itself is something to contemplate).

It deserved a lot more I think, and I'd really like to find it and watch it again someday.