"The Last Photograph" was an exceptionally moving film depicting emotional pain from loss of a loved one in a plane crash. The context of the film is the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, a terrorist act that took the lives of all members on board the plane as it flew over Scotland. There was also loss of civilian life on the ground in Lockerbie.
The personal side of the tragedy is traced through the story of Tom Hammond, whose son Luke perished in the explosion. Danny Huston gives a stellar performance as the grieving dad. But the entire cast was outstanding, including the actresses who played Luke's girlfriend Bird and Tom's friend Hannah. While we never learn Hannah's "story," she too experienced loss that is still a part of her life.
The film's title derives from the final photograph taken of Tom and his son. The Polaroid photo was stolen from Tom's book shop, and he spends much of the film on a quest to recover it. When he finally miraculously retrieves the photo alongside the Thames, he discovers that it is completely faded. Yet the photo itself had so much intrinsic meaning that its discovery was a minor victory.
There was an especially thoughtful denouement to the film in which Tom finally meets Bird. Two characters who are strangers meet on the common ground of grief that makes their encounter a moving tribute to Luke.
The personal side of the tragedy is traced through the story of Tom Hammond, whose son Luke perished in the explosion. Danny Huston gives a stellar performance as the grieving dad. But the entire cast was outstanding, including the actresses who played Luke's girlfriend Bird and Tom's friend Hannah. While we never learn Hannah's "story," she too experienced loss that is still a part of her life.
The film's title derives from the final photograph taken of Tom and his son. The Polaroid photo was stolen from Tom's book shop, and he spends much of the film on a quest to recover it. When he finally miraculously retrieves the photo alongside the Thames, he discovers that it is completely faded. Yet the photo itself had so much intrinsic meaning that its discovery was a minor victory.
There was an especially thoughtful denouement to the film in which Tom finally meets Bird. Two characters who are strangers meet on the common ground of grief that makes their encounter a moving tribute to Luke.