Well fellow bloggers, we have come down to the last movie review of the semester. Throughout these past couple of months, I have enjoyed discussing my cinematic tastes with you, and hopefully I inspired you to explore films that broaden your film sense. With spring quickly approaching us, the entire campus is filled with good spirits and livelihood, and I wish I could portray this in my final review. However, this week focuses on a film that I wouldn’t recommend to lift your spirits as it deals with depressing subject matter. The movie I’m talking about is 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas.
Leaving Las Vegas tells the story of Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage, who I promise is terrific in this film), a depressed and manic Hollywood screenwriter. Ben’s alcoholism has become uncontrollable, causing him to lose his job, family, and friends. Believing that there is nothing left to live for, Ben decides to move to Las Vegas and drink himself to death, spending all of his money on alcohol and refusing any assistance to stop. When he arrives in Vegas, he meets Sera (Elisabeth Shue), a strong-willed prostitute who works for an abusive pimp. The first night they are together, Ben offers Sera $500 to come back to his room for an hour, which Sera agrees to. While Sera believes Ben is paying for sex, Ben’s intention was to find someone to talk to about his situation.
After this encounter, Ben and Sera begin to develop an odd friendship that hints at a romantic relationship. Ben moves in with Sera shortly after they meet, and the two agree to live together under simple conditions; Sera will not tell Ben to stop drinking, and Ben will not criticize her job as a prostitute. At first, the two appear content with their situations and keep their judgments to themselves. Over the course of the film, their relationship begins to crumble, becoming frustrated with each other’s actions that appear to destroy them emotionally and physically.
One of the remarkable qualities of the film is the depictions of Ben and Sera, people in real life that we would be quick to judge and avoid because of their actions. The audience not only feels bad for the two main characters, but we recognize with their human tendencies to belong in society and search for a companion. Director Mike Figgis (who also wrote and composed the score for the film) presents Las Vegas as a place where dreams go to die, opposed to the prominent idea that you can hit it big at the casinos. The setting adds tension to Ben and Sera’s relationship, helping to bring out the desires of the characters to remain loyal to each other.
Even though the acting in the movie is pretty much focused on Cage and Shue, they are truly magnificent. Shue’s portrayal of Sera is heartbreaking and passionate, even while she attempts to maintain her emotionless prostitute persona. She emulates the feelings of loneliness and objectivity that the profession is associated with, all while revealing the sensitivity and concern for Ben’s destructive condition. Even with Shue’s Academy Award nominated performance, Cage delivers the best role of his career. His demeanor onscreen on Ben is haunting, depressing, and sometimes hard to watch as the alcohol takes over the character. Ben’s search for a friend during his last weeks resonates with the audience, even while we are despising his drinking. Cage won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and anyone that continues to criticize Cage’s movie choices recently (I agree that they are pretty bad) should watch this master class in acting.
Leaving Las Vegas will not put you in a good mood, as it is one of the most depressing films I have ever seen and depicts the ugly side of humanity. But that does not take away from its beautiful and raw look at Vegas, the strength of its performances, and the message that even wounded souls deserve to be accepted. I give the film 5 stars.
Images by United Artists.