Director: Justin Lin
Writer: Ben Ripley
Stars: Sky Yang, Radhika Apte, Marny Kennedy
Synopsis: A 26-year-old missionary journeys to the remote North Sentinel Island, determined to convert an isolated tribe, while authorities attempt to intervene before potential harm occurs.
North Sentinel Island is a bit of an enigma in culture. It’s a location that remains utterly compelling to most who hear about it. And can that intrigue really be blamed? It’s an island isolated from the rest of the world, with a group of people on it living as remotely as possible. So when Christian missionary John Allen Chau (Sky Yang) decided to venture to the island in the name of spreading Christianity, the aftermath of the news was met with mass discourse. So much so that in Justin Lin’s first film post-Fast & Furious, it almost feels like a requirement that Last Days begins with voiceover news anecdotes either justifying or slamming his actions. Whether you are aware of these events or not, the opening of this film details its outcome. It’s a smart move. This choice then shifts the entire drive of the rest of the film. Chau’s story is an inherently interesting one because it’s rather unique, so this film seeks to delve into some of the motivations behind what could ever cause somebody to take such drastic actions in life. Although tonally the film may not always feel like that’s actually the case, Lin’s film provides a fascinating exploration into how fundamental failures in Chau’s life caused such a needless tragedy. Lin and screenwriter Ben Ripely are just filling in the blanks.
With Last Days, Lin is making his return to Sundance more than two decades after his breakout film, Better Luck Tomorrow. It’s an exciting prospect at face value: to see if the indie filmmaker now more likely known for his mega-blockbuster hits can cross back over into the realm from which he originated. In that regard, Last Days has a lot of curiosity going for it. Having that baked into the DNA of a film can be both a blessing and a curse. The opening scene feels more in the realm of the former. The film begins with Chau arriving at North Sentinel Island. It’s captured in a sweeping manner, reminiscent of establishing shots you would see in a massive action film. And lo and behold, once Chau’s optimism at his arrival has worn off, Lin’s extensive action filmmaking background comes to light. It’s a thrilling sequence with camerawork that’s both frenetic and assured. Although I have to imagine the budget of this film wouldn’t classify it as an indie film in the traditional sense, this does represent an exciting venture. As this is Lin working in a much more stripped-down manner than his previous decade and a half of work, it serves as a reminder that we can treat films of any size with the same scope, style, and flair as that of a big-budget spectacle. Of course, budgets will unfortunately always come into play and each film requires its own style in conversation with the film itself. But it’s nevertheless exciting to see Lin choose to make a film about this particular story in this particular fashion. It’s the way this story is explored that makes Last Days such a perplexing film to mull over.
The question of Last Days ultimately boils down to what it’s trying to be perceived as. In some ways, it’s a tragedy. We’re witnessing everything in Chau’s life that led to his eventual death. This ultimately being a story about religious extremism means there is a lot of runtime devoted to what feels like a faith-based Christian film. At many points throughout the film, it admittedly feels rather strange. It’s not until the third act where I believe Last Days reveals its hand and completely upends any previous notions about intention and tone. But more on that in a bit. The only reason to hold off on diving into this section is due to its sequencing.
There’s another pivotal moment earlier in Last Days that again amplifies my thoughts on this being a film where we watch an indoctrinated individual fully come to grips with his sense of feeling lost. Chau catches up with Chandler (Toby Wallace) to tell him of his plans to bring Christianity to North Sentinel Island. Chandler, the person who planted the idea of such radical missions in Chau’s head in the first place, flat out states Chau should abandon this plan. Eventually, he concedes that if Chau is to do it, he should completely reinvent his online persona in order to travel to the island through India without raising suspicion. What follows is an extended sequence set to a somber song that follows Chau venturing around the world. He’s living the life that many could only dream of. Traveling to the most stunning locations, Lin captures a real sense of adventure and extravagance at each destination. And yet, the look delivered by Yang is one of complete emptiness. These are all hollow memories being formed in the name of an extreme falsehood. It’s one of the standout sequences of the film. We’re seeing extremism rob this individual of any joy to be gleaned from the world around him. His travels are all part of an exterior motive. If this can’t pull him off the path he’s on, can anything?
Without spoiling what occurs too much, the film begins to outright shame Chau’s actions. It’s not subtle or veiled. This then leads to a scene that feels as if it’s directly poking fun at a certain cliché often seen in romantic comedies. Coupling this sequence with the writing peppered throughout Last Days, I can’t help but believe that it was ultimately made as a tragic film with hints of tongue-in-cheek jabs at the ridiculousness of his motivations in the first place. Make no mistake, I don’t believe this film is a comedy in any sense. But most rational viewers will see the form of extremist behaviors and thought processes on display and feel no choice but to chuckle almost in mockery of it all. The tone can be a bit jarring and disjointed in this regard. More than anything, I find this film to be as strange as it is fascinating. It’s as if we’re seeing Lin iron out the ins-and-outs of making a film in this sort of environment once again. Personally, I find it to be a welcome and occasionally exciting venture.
Last Days depicts Chau as somebody who does appear to be genuinely good-natured at heart. He has just been completely and utterly misguided. This comes to a head in Ken Leung’s performance as Patrick, Chau’s father. One of the most tragic elements of the film is that Leung isn’t in it more. What might seem like a recognizable face doing a bit performance at first almost overtakes the entirety of Last Days to become the moral center of the film. The finale is so sparse, yet it finds a way to perfectly capture this sense of damnation and unfortunate inevitability. Perhaps if this film were concurrently about Patrick (who in real life politely declined to be involved with the film) coming to grips with his feelings of guilt and parsing through the relationship between him and his son, Last Days would feel like a more cohesive film. But there is a dual narrative occurring, and it does pair thematically with the other half of the film.
Perhaps there was a time when the events of Last Days could have been changed, but these wheels were set in motion long ago. And what ultimately makes this a tragedy in my eyes is how the actions of Chau’s parents were ones of both good intent and done from a feeling of necessity. Patrick tells his son that shortly after he immigrated to America, he visited the church with John’s mother as a way to fit in and to meet nice people. It’s a noble idea, but it would have likely helped had we seen Chau slowly delve further into being misguided by the teachings of his church. There are glimpses, but before we know it, he is off with a small group training to be a missionary. This is ultimately a film about the aftermath of his extremism, so perhaps Lin and Ripley preferred to stick strictly to this portion of his life when he was fully committed, or at least was then grappling with his actions. All the while, Meera (Radhika Apte), an Indian police officer, has been clued into the fact Chau is missing, and is on the hunt to find him. These sequences of the film are a ticking clock thriller. Even if we know the outcome, Apte brings a palpable energy to the film that undoubtedly excites. Whereas Patrick seems to come to the conclusion that it’s far too late, Meera’s optimism and inclination to brush up against her lazy and jaded superior is a welcome addition to Last Days. She too has found herself lost in a system that has cast her aside. And so she is trying to stop another tragedy before it occurs. But ultimately, despite her drive, we know what will occur. In all these ways, Last Days very much feels like a film about damnation. Where some see untapped potential or the opportunity to keep something pure, others see the opportunity to dominate. It’s ultimately a tragedy that seems to hint at the notion that nothing can be kept pure, and in time, all will succumb to the failings of everything around us.
Last Days is celebrating its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the Premieres category.
