Rent Last Days (2005)

Smells Like Exploitation - Last Days review by griggs

I've steered clear of Last Days for years—the synopsis alone made my skin crawl. Sadly, I wasn’t wrong. Gus Van Sant’s semi-fictionalised take on the final hours of a grunge icon (read: Kurt, but legally distinct) plays less like a film and more like one of those awkward reconstructions in true crime docs. Only here, there’s no context, no insight—just a mostly mute man shuffling about in a fog.

There’s no real attempt to explore addiction, illness, or inner turmoil. Just silence, mumbling, and a lot of moody wandering. It all feels strangely hollow, as if Van Sant wants the emotional heft of a documentary but without any of the responsibility.

And when not-Kurt’s body is found, Van Sant stages it with such cold and exacting precision it feels ripped from tabloid pages. It's invasive, joyless, and disturbingly self-satisfied. Best avoided.