As Van Sant said, Jerry, The Elephant and The Last Days are actually a trilogy, and they are all inspired by newspaper reports. Jerry originated from the news that two people got lost in the desert; Elephants focus on campus shootings; This film is closely related to the death of kurt cobain in 1994.
"I think all three films are using fiction to try to get new information," Van Sant said. "People don't know the truth of these three stories because there are unknown parts. In Jerry's case, only one person survived, so there is only one side of the story; In the school shooting, people have been questioning the reasons and have been unable to understand them; As for kurt cobain, no one knows where he was before he died and what happened. "
Although it was not intentional, it is undeniable that The Last Days is the third film that Van Sant made to face death. Producer Danny Wolfe said: "Maybe it's a coincidence. Whether it's getting lost in the desert, the brutal killing of students, or the helplessness and despair of artists, these three films all involve the last moment. However, the intention of these films is not the ending, but to let the audience experience the life of the characters. "
Although this film is the last film in the trilogy, Van Sant began to conceive the script as early as 1996. The original script is a series of scenes, showing the trivial behavior of the characters in each scene. Van Sant recalled: "At that time, he didn't have a name or even an age. Just stay at home alone, making macaroni and cheese, watching TV and not answering any phone calls. He wandered outside and then came back to write something. Later, I imagined the protagonist as a teenager, killing time all day, but at that time I didn't think of death at all. "
At the same time, Van Sant started filming Good Will Hunting, so The Last Days was put on hold for a while. 1997, Van Sant met michael pitt, a newcomer in the film industry. Although he is a little old compared with the characters conceived by Van Sant, he is very close to the characters, and at that time, Pete has been able to play the guitar skillfully and compose his own music. So Van Sant decided to let Pete play the leading role and discuss the film together, and the script gradually took shape.
1989 After the success of The Magical Cowherd, Van Sant gained fame and fortune. He bought a big house in Portland. However, the house did not bring him the beauty he imagined, and he began to feel a little ridiculous, because there were always people bothering him, either asking for rent in the basement or signing autographs as a souvenir, even if he went out for a walk, he would yell. So Van Sant wrote his own experience into the play. Blake lived in an old and empty house.
Eight years after its debut, The Last Days finally found a home in HBO movies. Van Sant's first film with the company was Elephant, which won the Palme d 'Or Award and the Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival. In 2003, michael pitt starred in Van Sant's Searching for Frost, The Devil's Joy and Anger and Paris, and made a breakthrough in the last two films. Peter is still in the music world, singing and composing with his own band Pagoda, and naturally he has to play a role similar to his own experience and environment.
Van Sant got rid of the traditional narrative technique in this film, but used sound, images and a few lines to create stories and emotions. He said: "The film does not analyze the psychology of the characters through words and actions, but through what the audience witnessed, to mobilize the audience to think and analyze in their own hearts." In addition, Van Sant constantly broke the routine in casting and performance, and a large number of unprofessional actors appeared in the film, and the proportion of improvisation was very large. Mari Finn, the casting director in The Elephant, once again took the lead in this film. Many supporting roles in the film have been adjusted according to the actors. For example, some actors used their real names in the film.
Of course, Blake's residence is also an important role in the film. According to Van Sant's request, although the building must be large enough, its shape is not perfect, because it will be a metaphor for Blake's broken life.