The Last Day (2004)
"Le dernier jour" (original title)

A young artist's return home is offset by his unrequited love for a childhood male friend.

Director:

Rodolphe Marconi

Writer:

Rodolphe Marconi

Stars:

Nicole Garcia, Gaspard Ulliel, Mélanie Laurent

Cast

Cast overview:
Nicole Garcia	...	Marie
Gaspard Ulliel	...	Simon
Mélanie Laurent	...	Louise
Bruno Todeschini	...	Marc
Alysson Paradis	...	Alice
Christophe Malavoy	...	Jean-Louis
Thibault Vinçon	...	Mathieu
Daniel Berlioux	...	Pierre

Storyline

At Christmas time, 19 year old Simon returns home to visit his dysfunctional family with Louise, a fearless girl he met during his train ride. While Simon struggles to cope with the growing distance between him and his parents, he starts to examine his feelings when Louise develop a liaison of her own with his childhood friend Mathieu. As dark family secrets are uncovered, Simon begins to understand the truth about his sexual orientation.

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Plot Keywords:

dysfunctional family | unrequited love | sexual orientation | family secret | infidelity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

3 November 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Der letzte Tag

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gemini Films, Canal+, Département de la Charente-Maritime

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

This movie provoked much more of an effect than I'd have liked.

The movie starts a little maudlin. Homeward bound for his family holiday, he meets a young woman on a train. He brings her home with him, and the family assume they are a couple and have been. He introduces her to a past friend, with undertones that it was a previous unrequited love interest. As she moves away from him towards a relationship with that friend, loneliness sets in. It brought back feelings of loneliness and emptiness, combined with anger and jealousy I felt at those ages (having been in the same scenario coming of age). To say it's better to have loved and lost has no bearing in this story. To see someone come of age with a story as this one rarely has a good outcome; I survived, many do not. The story takes a real almost unrealized twist toward the end, all I will say is pay attention to names and time-lines. I know my past was not the norm and hopefully most people seeing this movie, would be viewing it as the abstract life of another. No one should live through that pain and emptiness. I cried for an hour after the film was over.