My Last Film

There is a lot of online hype for this film, in particular on Vimeo other artists are keen to point out their captivation by it. I put that from my mind as I always try to do, but in the case of My Last Film this process was helped by me not being overly impressed on my first viewing. The film is a two-parter, and it gives you a sense of the type of film this is when I say that it is presented as a diptych (which means anything of two parts with a hinge in the middle so it closes onto itself. The use of this word is deliberately obtuse (although maybe this word is very commonly used in more educated circles) and so too is the film itself.

The two parts are both related to the destruction of actresses. In the first an aspiring actress is chewed up by the system, while in the second part an older actress laments what it has all become. The tone is cynical and bloody and excessive. The opening scene does grab you, and the second then sits back into a more meditative space (although has its own surprises). In terms of content it will put some people off simply because it does feel too "arty" for its own good. At the same time though, the feeling of anger behind it is quite engaging. The monologue leading to the end is well written and delivered, and one does get the sense of an oppressive system churning out product without a care for those involved. I'm only a viewer, but seeing a lot of short films which are brilliant but get almost no views, or get trolled in YouTube comments, it makes me wonder how people in the creative arts can be so resilient – I guess the film suggests it is because they have to be, whether they can be or not.

A bit artsy-fartsy in content and style, but it has a brutality to it in its action and words that makes it engaging and odd.