The year is 2086. Tsunamis have destroyed most of the world, leaving only a few survivors. No crops can grow and no babies have been born for 10 years. Of those left, one man has made it his mission to bring cinema back to life… but it’s not going to be easy in this new apocalypse.
Starring Nick Nolte, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Kalipha Touray as Kal, Last Words is a heart-felt film that looks to be a solid mixture of The Stand and Cinema Paradiso.
The story is narrated by Kal (Kalipha Touray) who first believes that he’s the last person left alive on Earth. But when he heeds a mysterious call to travel to Athens, Greece, he finds himself amongst a community of people who teach him all about the magic of motion pictures. From there, Kal sets out to create his own camera and be the last moviemaker.
Last Words has already grabbed the attention of critics everywhere, gaining it an official selection at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival and the 2020 Moscow International Film Festival. The film is directed by Jonathan Nossiter and based on the novel by Santiago Amigorena.
“I thought the last person of Earth should be an African refugee, someone who has already seen the end of the world,” Nossiter told Variety. “Seeing (Touray) every day, radiant, intelligent and possessing such a strong instinct, brought (the rest of the cast) to be even more truthful, to surpass themselves.”
Nossiter says that the movie is meant to be a strong warning about the dangers of climate change while serving as a tribute to art and culture’s impact on humanity.
“The film also says that farming and culture are intertwined… We must be activists today, we have no other choice,” he said. “If we don’t do anything, Deauville will be like Tangier (in Morocco) in 30 years.”
Last Words is already out in Europe but will hit theaters in the U.S. and the rest of the world on December 17.
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