Saturday, November 15, 2008

The Last Supper (1995)


The Last Supper is a film I had read the plot synopsis on in a few locations while browsing for something to watch that would not be too fomulaic and a choice that would be something out of the ordinary for my usual choice of watching. The synopsis has always been intriguing and I've almost watched it more than a few times. Well tonight my usual viewing partner lately fell asleep on the couch after dinner and was snoring loudly so I thought why not. I'm so glad I did! Wow.

What I can tell you right off is that you may be slightly mislead when you read the synopsis. This movie is about way more than what I thought it was going to be about -- which is about a group of friends who begin killing people who have political views radically different than their own. Without saying more without treading into the realm of spoilerdom, the movie is about friendship, human nature, understated elegance, and is damned funny in more than a few places.

I was delighted by The Last Supper because it purposely keeps things ambiguous when it counts. It does not spoon feed anything to the audience. No matter where you fall in your political views your platform is able to be heard without injecting the political views of the creator of the film. What I think delights me most about the whole movie is that it makes you think. I could see a professor showing this for a film class or a political science class and then discussing it or having the students write an essay on their feelings about it. It is what you might call a catalytic piece of art.

Speaking of art, there is plenty of it throughout, from human character study of the friends; the location, including landscaping and interior design (who knew Iowa was such a pretty place); artwork that is here and there; cinematography (good work on the film that takes place almost entirely at the house and in the yard); and excellent soundtrack selections.

The movie is highly recommended from this viewer. If you want to talk about it, or want to add your own review here, please do.

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