A Última Fronteira

Great acting but jumps around a lot and was so hard to follow at times I got bored and gave up. Definitely deals with a tough, really unsettling topic so it's not for the faint of heart.

Very deep and meaningful story about the shocking things that are still are happening today, while this film has a very cool cinematic look and great acting it becomes very slow and about 30 minutes to long, the ending is good with a little twist which could easily be missed so pay attention.

What might have been a heartfelt African tragedy falters under the heavy hand of Sean Penn who does here, what he once claimed Terrence Malick was guilty of: (with words to the effect... 'Creating something that looked good on paper but failing to transcribe it to film'. Shoddy hand held photography, poor composition, disjointed editing - with scenes that should have been short, left long, and visa-versa. Sound was another problem, people whisper - with it all being so low, as not to be heard. Eye rolling arty shots without purpose - a story that's on again-off again, with performers doing what they can but, being left all at sea by their overindulging director.

A movie maker seemingly pushing his political views - at the expense of third world persons lost to the corruption within their own leaders and an uncaring world - surrounded by repugnant violence (some of the violence is realistically shocking) Mr Penn may (or may not) have his heart in the right place but tends to allow the shadowy edge of politics to blind his visionary vocation. At one point some innocent victims exclaim 'In the name of Jesus' - the people there to help them reply: 'what about in OUR name'? Maybe that's just the point - take Christ's unconditional love from these poor souls and they have exactly nothing! - So, what does the story teller dislike most, the love or the forgiveness? Some music choices on the sound track help to a small degree but sadly, self importance does not, a good movie make. Like other Penn movies this seems to run forever, needlessly.

First,let me respond to all the negative reviews of this film.Oh the self-righteousness! Oh the humanity! Yes,this movie is a love story that takes place in Africa amidst turmoil and terror,and yes-its the Africans who are the victims in this movie-not the "white saviors". It never claimed to be anything else. Before I review the actually film,I have to ask people who rated this movie negatively solely for its "white saviors of black people" premise; is it a crime for white people to go to Africa to try to help Africans and also fall in love with each other?In your outrage at believing this movie undermines the humanity of Africans, you strip the white characters of their humanity.I've fought racism all my life whenever the opportunity presented itself,and am a firm supporter of Black Lives Matter.Of course a non-black person cannot say they are anti-racism without immediately condemning themselves to scrutiny and "aha's!" from others.Skipping the am I racist rant,I just could not understand why just about everyone immediately condemned the white lovers/activists for daring to be in Africa to help refugees of war and audaciously fall in love. Should white people stay out of Africa? Yes if they are there to exploit.If they are there to help,then by all means..help.

The film is gorgeous.Charline steals the show once again. The brutality,horror and hellishness of what Africans face is not watered down,not reduced to art.It is full in your face truth.Its funny how people who hate the white activists also seem to ignore the horrors that Africans face in their desperate self righteousness. Throw the baby out with the bathwater I guess? This stunningly beautiful film will stay with me a long time,and I already know it belongs with my other favorites of this genre...which also received poor reviews for the white savior premise....Keys to the Kingdom and The Revenant.White people who bridged the gap between cultures and ethnicities rather than be hateful,violent and racist.These types of movies really tick people off.Tough.The world needs more bridges,less hate and condemnation. The Last Face is a precious gem for that reason...if you happen to go to Africa as an activist, and you want to make a difference in the lives of Africans who have suffered(often because of the west's exploitive racist ways) ...don't feel guilty ,even if you fall in love....

Scanning through the reviews on this film was a reminder of just how much impact expectations have on you when you are not aware that you are projecting them. People complaining about the romantic element in the film or the violence are simply upset because they had expectations of what this should have been. Playing the writer and director when they are not.

All too often I come across negative reviews because they had different expectations instead of accepting what was presented in front of them as someone else's perspective, story or art. I find that you enjoy art (of any form) much more when you allow them to express it without projecting your expectations. Imagine standing in an art gallery and staring at a painting and then shouting to the room around you that you would not have used red but instead blue in this painting! How dare they do this! Projecting your expectations on someone or something else is a character defect. While you are allowed an opinion, there's a difference between having an opinion and disregarding someone else's vision because is not in-line with your expectations. Had you maintained an open-mind with no expectations, you might have experienced something completely different. This also translates to life and how you interact with people. Keeping your side of the street clean, so to speak.

And to all the people using the phrase "white savior" and calling the film racist and the people who review it positively, racist, you are sad and pathetic. I understand what "white savior" is supposed to mean in context, but with that mentality, no film or TV show ever again, can have a Caucasian helping someone of color. This is a card that is played by the "woke" culture. Instead of viewing it as a human being helping another human being, you choose to see a white woman coming to the rescue. Who's the racist here? The people that are using these tactics need to grow up and expand their minds a bit.

As far as the movie, I'm not going to review it here. What I got from it really isn't that important. It's what you get from it that matters. I just wanted to voice my opinion regarding the people projecting their expectations in many of the comments not only on this film but across the internet. Not that it matters.