The Last Best Sunday (1999)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Don Most

Writer:

Karen Kelly (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A Hispanic teenager hides out from the law in the home of a good-natured, but rebellious, Caucasian teenage girl after killing two rednecks whom beat him up and left him for dead, leading to a collision of cultures between the two youths.

Plot Keywords:

Teenage Girl | Attack | Weekend | Sheriff | Revenge

Cast

Douglas Spain	...	Joseph
Angela Bettis	...	Lolly Ann Summers
William Lucking	...	Sheriff Weaks
Kim Darby	...	Mrs. Summers
Craig Wasson	...	Deputy Sheriff Bennett
Mickey Jones	...	Bartender
Daniel Beer	...	Banks
John Allsopp	...	Jim
Marion Ross	...	Mrs. Larksmont
Peter Meyers	...	Man in bar
Douglas Niemans	...	Officer in Police Car Photo
Michael Niemans	...	Officer in Police Car Photo
Troy Niemans	...	Officer in Police Car Photo

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Porterville, California, USA

Company:

Bodega Bay Productions

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mrs. Summers: Lolly? Lolly! I know you're playing possum.
[yanks back covers]
Mrs. Summers: Now, little Missy. Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:19.

A moving, beautiful film

I was given the opportunity to view this film at the Nashville Independent Film Festival and it blew me away. The actors embodied the roles with such emotion. I was mesmerized. It brought me to tears several times. Particularly in Lolly Ann's description of her parents' lack of love for her and their disapproval of her, I was moved nearly to sobs. I felt the religous demands of her parents were realistically played out. That is not often the case in films where that concept is often dealt with cartoonishly. Lolly Ann is obviously a wounded girl who is only beginning to realize the extent of her hurt. The tender romance that develops also rings true. This film stayed with me long after I left the theater. In addition, the editing, cinemetography and the use of a dissolve-to-white technique made the film seem almost magical. I was able to talk with Director Don Most for quite some time after the film and I was amazed at the care and attention he put into this film. He is a talented director. I truly hope he gets the wider distribution he seeks for it, though I doubt the average viewer would appreciate the gem that it is.