For the final film in the Marleen Gorris Trilogy, the Oscar-winning director shot the film outside of the Netherlands, traded Dutch for English, and molded the castaway genre to her own devices. She also shifted from a female to a male-dominated milieu, even as her concerns about the perils of patriarchy and benefits of sisterhood remained the same.
The Last Island opens on a deserted beach just after a deadly plane crash. Before rousing, the dazed survivors lay sprawled across the sand and amongst the wreckage. With some food and supplies at the ready, they don't immediately worry about their next meal, but rather about how they're going to live and work together, not least because help might not be arriving any time soon. It isn't clear exactly what's going on in the outside world, but Gorris drops hints suggesting an apocalyptic scenario.
As the weeks pass, the survivors burn the bodies of the dead and adapt to the tropical climate (Gorris shot on location in Tobago). Religious nut Nick (The Empire Strikes Back's Kenneth Colley) attempts to set himself up as a leader, but his companions refuse to go along, though his military training makes him the superior survivalist. His opposite number, Sean (Raiders of the Lost Ark's Paul Freeman), exhibits the warmth that Nick lacks. Openly gay, he befriends the agnostic Joanna (Shelagh McLeod) and shacks up with the younger Frank (Mark Hembrow). That leaves Jack (Ian Tracey), Pierre (Marc Berman), and Mrs. Godame (Patricia Hayes). Their nationalities include British, Scottish, American, Canadian, French, and Australian. They're rounded out by Tuesday, a traumatized dog who becomes the sturdy Mrs. Godame's constant companion.
As more time passes, they build a makeshift boat. Though their initial attempt to sail away results in disaster, they vow to try again. Meanwhile, the men become convinced that 30-year-old Shelagh should have sex with one of them in order to propagate the species since they might be the last humans on Earth. Jack is particularly aggressive on this point, leading to a horrific encounter with Nick, after which all hell breaks loose as even as the more sensible men, like Pierre, a bespectacled botanist who pines for his wife, end up fighting amongst themselves as the women do their best to stay out of their way.
For most of these castaways, the ending won't be a happy one, which may be why Gorris's third film didn't find a wider audience—it wasn't even released theatrically in the United States--though the action never flags and the entire cast rises to the occasion. Though she proved herself a deft director of action, it isn't a form to which she would return. In light of the success of Lost and Yellowjackets, The Last Island may meet with a warmer reception now that Cult Epics has reissued the film, beautifully shot by Black Book's Marc Felperlaan, in an attractive 2K restoration with numerous special features, including an interview with columnist and Gorris enthusiast Annemarie Grewel and commentary from film professor Peter Verstraten.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
The Last Island would fit with International, European, and Action Adventure films on public library shelves.
What type of film series could use this title?
Film programmers looking to showcase Dutch cinema in the 20th century or the work of Marleen Gorris in particular—especially her first three films—would find The Last Island to be an accessible introduction to this provocative filmmaker.