Last Resort

Last year I discovered the genius of Paweł Pawlikowski through his two most popular films, Cold War and Ida, and although this falls short of those by a hair it also proves to me that he’s not only one of the most consistent directors of the 21st century, but in my opinion, one of the best. Compared to how technically similar Cold War and Ida were this is a big switch up, this one is more of an French inspired indie slice-of-life drama which I saw being a perfect match for Pawlikowski’s style and I’m happy to say I was right. It keeps the same story themes that Pawlikowski seems to love though, in Ida the focus is the desperation of our main character trying to find a way to live their life sustainably and no sentence better could better describe our main character here, Tanya. Not only is she desperate to provide for her son but she’s also desperate for emotional independence in her life which was a beautiful combo to see unfold throughout this, there were a lot of emotional layers to this character and Dina Korzun was the perfect pick to bring her to life. This is also theme I’ve noticed in this director’s films, from Joanna Kulig in Cold War to Agatha Trzebuchowska in Ida, there’s always a powerhouse female lead to enjoy, similar to a Pablo Larraín, and I love seeing that, especially when the performers are this good. I got a surprisingly brilliant performance here too in Paddy Considine, I only knew him as a comedy guy so seeing him give this touching drama performance was a lot of fun, I can’t wait to check and see if he’s done more drama roles after this. I also have to mention, because I shit on it so much, that this is one of my favorite uses of shaky cam ever. I love how it brings out that slice-of-life feeling and gives this an almost docudrama feel, that along with everything else contributing to this bleak atmosphere makes every character interaction, negative or positive, that much more meaningful. When talking about that bleak atmosphere it’s hard not to bring up Ryszard Lenczewski’s cinematography, that’s something I was admittedly saw coming in a Paweł film but I love that it’s a completely different look from his other films while still being as gorgeous as I expected. Max de Wardener’s score added a lot to it as well, it’s a quick slice-of-life with great performances and an atmosphere that’ll stick with you, I saw Pawlikowski has a movie planned starring Sandra Hüller and I couldn’t be more excited for that.

Last year I discovered the genius of Paweł Pawlikowski through his two most popular films, Cold War and Ida, and although this falls short of those by a hair it also proves to me that he’s not only one of the most consistent directors of the 21st century, but in my opinion, one of the best. Compared to how technically similar Cold War and Ida were this is a big switch up, this one is more of an French inspired indie slice-of-life drama which I saw being a perfect match for Pawlikowski’s style and I’m happy to say I was right. It keeps the same story themes that Pawlikowski seems to love though, in Ida the focus is the desperation of our main character trying to find a way to live their life sustainably and no sentence better could better describe our main character here, Tanya. Not only is she desperate to provide for her son but she’s also desperate for emotional independence in her life which was a beautiful combo to see unfold throughout this, there were a lot of emotional layers to this character and Dina Korzun was the perfect pick to bring her to life. This is also theme I’ve noticed in this director’s films, from Joanna Kulig in Cold War to Agatha Trzebuchowska in Ida, there’s always a powerhouse female lead to enjoy, similar to a Pablo Larraín, and I love seeing that, especially when the performers are this good. I got a surprisingly brilliant performance here too in Paddy Considine, I only knew him as a comedy guy so seeing him give this touching drama performance was a lot of fun, I can’t wait to check and see if he’s done more drama roles after this. I also have to mention, because I shit on it so much, that this is one of my favorite uses of shaky cam ever. I love how it brings out that slice-of-life feeling and gives this an almost docudrama feel, that along with everything else contributing to this bleak atmosphere makes every character interaction, negative or positive, that much more meaningful. When talking about that bleak atmosphere it’s hard not to bring up Ryszard Lenczewski’s cinematography, that’s something I was admittedly saw coming in a Paweł film but I love that it’s a completely different look from his other films while still being as gorgeous as I expected. Max de Wardener’s score added a lot to it as well, it’s a quick slice-of-life with great performances and an atmosphere that’ll stick with you, I saw Pawlikowski has a movie planned starring Sandra Hüller and I couldn’t be more excited for that.

Although the low budget was a bit too obvious to me, I think this film tells a nice story that feels real and authentic.
It was interesting to see England through a Polish director's lens, this film reminded me of the few Russian films I’ve seen. Although your average British citizen is aware of how dystopian Britain can be, Last Resort really puts it into perspective. This especially includes the scene where Tanya and Artyom hide from the cameras surveyed by the immigration office, which heavily reminded me of 1984 and Winston and Julia’s avoidance of the tele-screens.
I liked Tanya and Alfie’s relationship which was convincing, as well as tender and soft compared to the hardship of the rest of the story. It’s one of those nice relationships between two poor people making the best of their brutal lives.

Although the low budget was a bit too obvious to me, I think this film tells a nice story that feels real and authentic.
It was interesting to see England through a Polish director's lens, this film reminded me of the few Russian films I’ve seen. Although your average British citizen is aware of how dystopian Britain can be, Last Resort really puts it into perspective. This especially includes the scene where Tanya and Artyom hide from the cameras surveyed by the immigration office, which heavily reminded me of 1984 and Winston and Julia’s avoidance of the tele-screens.
I liked Tanya and Alfie’s relationship which was convincing, as well as tender and soft compared to the hardship of the rest of the story. It’s one of those nice relationships between two poor people making the best of their brutal lives.

Pawel is one of my favourite directors and the thing that’s stands out most in his movies are the cinematography and blocking. In Last Resort the character blocking is similar but the way it’s shot is totally different. The digital handheld style works really well in the film.

Pawel is one of my favourite directors and the thing that’s stands out most in his movies are the cinematography and blocking. In Last Resort the character blocking is similar but the way it’s shot is totally different. The digital handheld style works really well in the film.

Paddy Considine is so so so insanely talented like genuinely one of the most talented people working in film today. Not only has he directed two films I absolutely adore but as an actor his performances are always top tier. The reason why this performance from him is so good is because of how real it feels. His character just feels so authentic like I’m spying on these characters interacting. And that isn’t just to Considine because this is the best thing about the movie is that it feels so real and honest. What a really good film man I hope you guys check it out

Paddy Considine is so so so insanely talented like genuinely one of the most talented people working in film today. Not only has he directed two films I absolutely adore but as an actor his performances are always top tier. The reason why this performance from him is so good is because of how real it feels. His character just feels so authentic like I’m spying on these characters interacting. And that isn’t just to Considine because this is the best thing about the movie is that it feels so real and honest. What a really good film man I hope you guys check it out

Paddy pls make more films Ik you didn’t make this one but still

Paddy pls make more films Ik you didn’t make this one but still