Last Days (2005)

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer (WGA):

Gus Van Sant (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Rock and roll will never die.

Plot:

A Seattle-set rock & roll drama about a musician whose life and career is reminiscent of Kurt Cobain's.

Plot Keywords:

Song | Woods | House | Kurt Cobain | Musician

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Michael Pitt	...	Blake
Lukas Haas	...	Luke
Asia Argento	...	Asia
Scott Patrick Green	...	Scott (as Scott Green)
Nicole Vicius	...	Nicole
Ricky Jay	...	Detective
Ryan Orion	...	Donovan
Harmony Korine	...	Guy in Club
Rodrigo Lopresti	...	Band in Club (as The Hermitt)
Kim Gordon	...	Record Executive
Adam Friberg	...	Elder Friberg #1
Andy Friberg	...	Elder Friberg #2
Thadeus A. Thomas	...	Yellow Book Salesman
Chip Marks	...	Tree Trimmer
Kurt Loder	...	TV Voiceover (voice)
Michael Azerrad	...	TV Voiceover (voice)
Chris Monlux	...	Phone Voice (voice)
Jack Gibson	...	Phone Voice (voice)
Gus Van Sant	...	Phone Voice (voice)
Dawnn Pavlonnis	...	Phone Voice (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Riley G. Matthews Jr.	...	Coroner's Attendant (uncredited)
Giovanni Morassutti	...	Band Fun (uncredited)
Ari Tomais	...	Detective (uncredited)

Directed by
Gus Van Sant

Writing credits (WGA)
Gus Van Sant		(written by)

Produced by
Jay Hernandez	....	associate producer
Dany Wolf	....	producer

Original Music by
Rodrigo Lopresti

Cinematography by
Harris Savides

Film Editing by
Gus Van Sant

Casting by
Mali Finn

Art Direction by
Tim Grimes

Set Decoration by
Sarah E. McMillan

Costume Design by
Michelle Matland

Makeup Department
Cassandra Saulter	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Greg Spence	....	post-production supervisor
Jen Wall	....	production supervisor
Dany Wolf	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jennifer Truelove	....	second assistant director
Dany Wolf	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Karen Cinorre	....	props
Leslie Salter	....	lead scenic (as Leslie Salter-Yacuk)
Greg Sullivan	....	scenic

Sound Department
Felix Andrew	....	sound mixer
Matt Dubin	....	mixing recordist
Marshall Garlington	....	sound re-recording mixer
Shawn Kennelly	....	foley mixer
Laura Macias	....	foley artist
Vince Nicastro	....	foley artist
Neil Riha	....	second sound mixer
Leslie Shatz	....	sound designer
Lisa Varetakis	....	supervising foley editor

Visual Effects by
Mitch Paulson	....	digital preview colorist

Stunts
Riley G. Matthews Jr.	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Chris Blauvelt	....	assistant camera
James P. Dolan	....	gaffer (as James Dolan)
John Flanagan	....	electrician
Scott Patrick Green	....	still photographer
Thomas Jirgal	....	best boy grip
Patrick Lowry	....	grip
Stephen MacDougall	....	camera loader
Jason McCormick	....	second assistant camera
Peter McEntyre	....	best boy electric
Matías Mesa	....	Steadicam operator

Casting Department
Lori Eastside	....	additional casting
Jonathan Leeder	....	casting associate
David Rapaport	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ghilaine Bouadana	....	wardrobe production assistant
Amy Roth	....	costume supervisor
Jonathan Schwartz	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Bruce Bolden	....	colorist
John Dowdell	....	video colorist
Helen Hand	....	first assistant editor
Eric Hill	....	apprentice editor
Mato	....	color timer
Beatrice Sisul	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ray Espinola Jr.	....	music coordinator
Thurston Moore	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Kenny Gaskins	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Maxwell Anderson	....	production assistant
Kari A. Coleman	....	post-production office manager
Charlie Dibe	....	production assistant
Lindsay Feldman	....	assistant production office coordinator
Heather Gauntt	....	assistant location manager
Joe Guest	....	location manager
Randy Manion	....	location scout
Rachel Neave	....	story contributor
Ben Ruggiero	....	production assistant
Maurice Sessoms	....	additional production assistant
Beatrice Sisul	....	dailies
Michele Soddano	....	assistant accountant
Amy Teitter	....	production assistant
Rebecca Thornell	....	clearance
Derek Yip	....	post-production accountant
Derek Yip	....	production accountant

Thanks
Francesco Clemente	....	special thanks
Kurt Cobain	....	dedicatee
Roger D. Faires	....	special thanks
Kurt Loder	....	special thanks
Chip Marks	....	special thanks
Ann Roth	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• HBO Films
• Meno Film Company
• Picturehouse Entertainment
• Pie Films Inc.

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alamode Film (2007) (Germany) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• BIM Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Fine Line Features (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2005-2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Newco
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Illusion Arts (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Elizabeth Bardsley & Associates  script annotation

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

97 min | Argentina:97 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Nova Scotia) | Argentina:16 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:12 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Garrison, New York, USA

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

Thadeus A. Thomas was a real Yellow Pages salesman who wandered onto the set one day and tried to sell the cast and crew Yellow Page ad space. Gus Van Sant was so intrigued by him he asked him to appear in the film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: One of the LDS missionaries that visits the house is wearing a light blue shirt. LDS missionaries are only permitted to wear non-decorative white shirts with dark pants/suits, and a conservative tie. The missionaries also carried no pamphlets, visual aids, appointment books, or their own complete sets of scriptures, which is highly unlikely for door-to-door proselytizing.

Quotes:

Blake: I lost something on the way to wherever I am today.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Believe

Blake or bleak?

Last days This is the final instalment of Gus van sant's trilogy of the disenfranchised and the alienated human condition. It began with 'Gerry' dealing with two guys trapped in a desert with no way of finding civilisation again and continued with 'elephant' dealing loosely with the columbine school killings. Last days is loosely based on the life of Kurt Cobain the late nirvana singer. Last days is really gelephant a mix of the first two films. Similar themes like repetition and the same story told from different characters perspectives are lifted straight out of elephant and the endless, hopeless tracking shots of despair are taken out of Gerry. Here the main character Blake is lost, unlike the two central characters in Gerry who are lost in the desert without hope, Blake is lost in his own head seemingly without hope. We meet Blake in the title of the film, his last days, being destroyed by drugs (although we never see him take anything harder than a cigarette) and emotional vampires who pretend to be his friends sucking the life out of him coupled with the pressure of fame and impending 86 date tours, Blake is quite simply falling apart. Here though it is a beautifully subtle take on madness, gone are the visions you see in films like 'Jacobs ladder' replaced with a clever underscore of sounds of doors opening and closing and mutterings and oddities. It's as if as you travel round with Blake you too can here the doors of insanity opening in his head, you too struggle to make out all the sounds. It's gently handled but eerily effective in linking you in with Blake's mindset. Elsewhere he stumbles and crawls round trying to function in the face of increasing paranoia and his drug addled inability to perform even the simplest of tasks. With record executives, band members, his manager and a private investigator all on his trail doing little for his state of mind Blake only seems comfortable when making music. This is also the only thing he can do with any sense of achievement, this could be down to the fact that it is second nature or the fact that he is a musical genius. The film also has an amazing sense of space, the landscapes around the mansion, the emptiness of its rooms and the vacuous nature of the hangers on to Blake's coat tails. With some amazing scenes, look out for the Venus in furs scene and the amazingly shot and framed acoustic song performed by Blake in the studio with probably one of the best little pieces of improvisation I've ever seen, this is a brilliant and touching portrayal of a great man left to fall to pieces by those who should have helped him stay together. Although different in its approach it deals with madness in a way not seen since Polanski's 'repulsion' and ultimately it is a film that stays with you long after the final chilling shot.