Last Night

There are films that are great, but by virtue of their intelligence and understatement fall through the cracks - or go on over the years to achieve 'cult' status. Paul Auster's 'Smoke', or Thomas McCarthy's 'The Station Agent' are a couple. This is such a film, and for fans of these types of 'smarter', less 'hollywood' productions there is no greater cinematic experience than finding such a gem. This is unpretentious and real - and ultimately honest and rewarding. Don McKellar has crafted something really special.

i never realized how beautiful a song Guantanamera was, until i heard it in this movie. Whenever i hum the tune nowadays, i can't help but think of Last Night(and the last scene). Ihighly recommend seeing Miracle Mile, after you've see Last Night. It is as close to an American version of this film as you are ever going to see. It is almost just as good. In my opinion, the best line in the movie comes when the old woman makes the very politially incorrect statement, that she tired of hearing about the children,because they are too young to miss anything. If the world weren't ending in a few minutes, you know she wouldn't be exposing her true feelings. I loved this film, beginning to end.

I found LAST NIGHT quite thought-provoking and moving the first time I saw it and its impact on me has only grown over time. This is an amazingly sophisticated and well-executed film for a first-time director. What I find thrilling about it is both the fine balance it finds between ideas and emotional resonance and its sense of tonal unity and control. The images and music have stayed with me for years. Despite the melancholic events of the story and the sense of loss that permeates the film (after all, we are talking about the end of the world here), a mordant sense of humour and finally a romantic, optimistic heart leavens the story's darkness, without pushing the movie into cheap sentimentality or melodrama (Armageddon, anyone?). All this and only one of the most memorable closing images in modern film! Seek it out. It's worth it.

What can I say about Last Night that hasn't already been said? Well, to start, I feel this is the kind of Canadian film we Canadians have been BEGGING to see for years. However, because of the fact that the film saw limited release in arthouse theatres across the country, and is just appearing on video now, chances are good that Last Night will not be seen by a large majority of the public if not sent in to full release across the United States.

This movie is Canadian -- without shoving the fact that it is down your throat.

Now, on to the actual guts of the movie. I find the understatement of the fact that the world IS ending in six short hours to be so uniquely Canadian. There is an odd, somewhat macabre scene in the movie where McKellar's character is being harassed by his mother for showing up late for "Christmas" dinner. Not once does mother mention the end of the world. McKellar's response? "... and in case you haven't noticed the world is going to end today, and I've had a lot on my mind."

Getting off my maple leaf waving-high-horse, I will say this: the performances by McKellar, Sandra Oh and Callum Keith Rennie are nothing short of superb. They portray characters you at times love, hate, and fear, because there are times (many times) that we see ourselves in these characters.

The soundtrack for Last Night (available on the Sony Classical label) is a mixture of both the corniest music on the face of the earth (Burton Cummings' live performance of Glamour Boy) to great oldies (Last Night [I Didn't Get to Sleep at All]) to songs few (if any people) have ever heard before (i.e. the Defranco Family's "Heartbeat, its a Lovebeat")

The story moves at a graceful pace, there are no surprise endings, and the characters are human(e). Last Night is a masterpiece.

Don Mckellar's direction is outstanding in this typically edgy yet slyly romantic Canadian offering. Taking place during the last night on earth, the film expertly follows the lives of a group of people all of whom are dealing with the end of the world in their own inimitable ways. Yes, this is not something original but somehow Mckellar (who also acts in the the film) has fashioned a very watchable tale whose power lies in what we know is going to happen rather than how we get there. With a touch of off-beat Canadian humor the mundane and the surreal are often counterpointed to provide some dark humor, but the film's visual wit and wonderful use of music adds another eerie dimension. Mckellar never tells why the earth is coming to an end but there are enough 'bright' clues to satisfy the curious. It's a shame this film hasn't had more exposure. Perhaps its detached, deadpan wit was too Canadian for many.