User:Ytan11sf/Last Night (1998 film)
Last Night is a 1998 Canadian apocalyptic black comedy-drama film directed by Don McKellar and starring McKellar, Sandra Oh and Callum Keith Rennie. Inspired by the French film project 2000, Seen By..., McKellar wrote the screenplay about what ordinary people do when an unstated imminent global catastrophic event happens. Set in Toronto, Ontario, the film was made and released when many were concerned about the Year 2000 problem.
The film was released to positive reviews for McKellar's direction and Oh's acting. It won awards at the Cannes and Toronto International Film Festivals, and three Genie Awards, including Best Actress for Oh.
Plot
[edit]In Toronto, a group of friends and family prepare for the end of the world, expected at midnight as the result of a calamity that is not explained, but which has been expected for several months. There has been panic and rioting after the imminent catastrophe was announced, but the chaos has since largely died down, with only sporadic murders, robberies, and vandalisms. On the last evening, Sandra’s car was vandalized by passersby while she scavenges the leftover in a supermarket leaving her stranded. Meanwhile, Patrick meets with his extended family for a mock Christmas dinner celebration; Duncan, husband of Sandra, spends much of the day calling his customers to reassure them that their heating gas will be kept on until the very end; Craig is having sex with Lily.
Patrick left the dinner prematurely to spend his final hours alone in his apartment. However, he unexpectedly meets Sandra at the front door of his apartment. After Sandra's constant request, Patrick reluctantly let Sandra to visit his apartment and use his phone to contact Duncan. Patrick then suggests Sandra to steal a car as Sandra leave his apartment. Meanwhile, Craig and Mrs. Carlton are having sex, and Donna turn up the music and let go of herself in the power company after Duncan left.
Patrick meets his high school friend Menzies who is driving around to dispatch tickets of his concert with his cousin while Patrick and Sandra are trying to hitchhike. Patrick later convinced Craig to borrow his car in Craig’s apartment despite the Craig’s reluctant. After Sandra left, Craig tries to convince Patrick to enjoy sex in the final hours and revealed his fantasy of experiencing sex using various methods and with various partners. Craig later tells Patrick that he is not belittling Patrick, but to inspire him to enjoy his final hours. While leaving Craig's apartment, Craig attempts to have a homosexual affair with Patrick, but Patrick refused despite that he loves Craig.
In the final hour, Duncan opens the door upon hearing a gunshot on the street only to be held hostage by Marty; in the concert that only a few people attended, Mrs. Carlton quietly walk into the concert while Menzies play the piano on the stage. Sandra is stopped by a group of protestors who blocked the traffic and vandalized the car. Sandra therefore returned to Patrick's apartment. Using Patrick's phone, Sandra listens to Duncan's voicemail that was used to reassure their customer as a power company repeatedly. Upon realizing she will not reunite with Duncan; Sandra asks Patrick to join her suicide pact which she had with Duncan. Patrick refused the suicide pact stating that he needs to know her more to consider it and so they shared their stories, slowly progressing into serious topic, Patrick's lost loved one.
As the midnight approaches, Craig meets with Donna and find it difficult to believe that she is a virgin. Donna find herself ashamed but Craig successfully turn the situation around and have sex with her. While Patrick and Sandra make their final attempt to contact Duncan, it was revealed that Duncan was killed. Patrick and Sandra both sit on the roof facing each other, listening to the song "Guantanamera," each holding a loaded pistol to the other's temple. However, as the final seconds approach, both characters are overcome with emotion and simultaneously let their pistols slip away as they slowly embrace in a kiss.
Cast
[edit]- Don McKellar as Patrick Wheeler, the male protagonist who is depressed after loosing his love one due to sickness.
- Sandra Oh as Sandra, Duncan's wife, the female protagonist who is stranded in the city.
- Callum Keith Rennie as Craig Zwiller, Patrick's best friend. He spent his final hours having a sex marathon.
- Robin Gammell as Mr Wheeler, Patrick's father.
- Roberta Maxwell as Mrs. Wheeler, Patrick's mother.
- Sarah Polley as Jennifer 'Jenny' Wheeler, Patrick's sister, Alex's girlfriend.
- Trent McMullen as Alex, Jennifer's boyfriend.
- Charmion King as Patrick's grandmother.
- Jessica Booker as Rose. She is invited to Patrick family's mock Christmas dinner celebration.
- David Cronenberg as Duncan, Sandra's husband. He works in a power company.
- Tracy Wright as Donna. She works in the same power company with Duncan. She is a virgin and have sex with Craig in final hour.
- Geneviève Bujold as Mrs. Carlton, Patrick's and Craig's high school French teacher. She knows Craig's step mother and have sex with Craig.
- Karen Glave as Lily. She have sex with Craig knowing that Craig is only having sex with her because she is a African descendent.
- Michael McMurty as Menzies, Patrick's high school friend. He is having a concert in the final hours.
- Michael Barry as Marty. He shot Duncan with a shotgun.
- Nathalie Shats as Marty's girlfriend. She tried to stop Marty from killing Duncan.
- Arsinée Khanjian as streetcar mother. She is left stranded in a Metro with her daughter.
- Chandra Michaels as streetcar daughter. She is left stranded in a Metro with her mother.
- Jackie Burroughs as the runner. She is seen running throughout the film.
- Bob Martin as the television newscaster.
- Tom McCamus as the radio broadcaster.
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]Director Don McKellar wrote the screenplay after being contacted by the French producer Caroline Benjo of the firm Haut et Court[1] who asked him to join a project called "2000, Seen By..." which put togethers a series of films depicting the approaching millennium seen from the perspectives of 10 different countries. McKellar fear that a story about the millennium would become dated immediately after the millennium and even questioned whether the end of the millennium has any significant. Instead, McKellar was inspired to make his film about the end of the world.[1] Despite the action-filled end of the world genre that was popular at the time, McKellar choose to only focus on the ordinary people's decisions, actions, and encounters that has no significant impact to the imminent catastrophic.[2] McKellar asked his friends what they would do if they knew the end was coming, basing his screenplay on their responses. His script does not explain why the world is ending because he did not view that as the point of the story. However, McKellar acknowledged that the film's sun shining throughout the night "seems to suggest some major planetary alignment problems." The film marked McKellar's first time directing a feature.