" last night " could have an " aka " tagged on the end of it that says , " it's the end of the world , and we feel fine " . " last night " is about just that . the last night of planet earth's existence . the world is going to end at precisely midnight , january 1st , 2000 . how scientists were so accurately able to predict when this catastrophic event would occur is never explained . nor is the event itself . throughout the entire movie , no explanation is given as to why this is happening . in doing this , mckellar ( who also wrote and directed the film ) seems to be trying to transcend the genre . he's attempted to make a film about people , and how each of them deals with their last night of life . the film contains no science fiction elements , which allows the viewer to concentrate on the feelings and actions of the characters . mckellar <POS> is largely successful in his attempt </POS> to rise above his material . the film is set in toronto , and follows several people in their various escapades on the last night of existence . there's mckellar , who plays a man who just wants to be alone when the moment occurs , but keeps getting interrupted by a woman ( sandra oh ) in search of her husband . her husband , played by david cronenberg , is spending the day working at the gas company , informing people that they will attempt to keep providing gas right up until the end . finally , there's mckellar's friend , played by callum keith rennie , a man who has spent his final months trying out every sexual perversion you can think of . mckellar has crafted a gang of the <POS> some of the most interesting characters i've seen in a film </POS> in months . these people <POS> all felt real to me </POS> , especially the character played by sandra oh . we can see her desperation , her utter need to be with her husband in the final hours . rennie <POS> is good , too </POS> , as the man who wants to literally try everything before he dies . he exudes such charm and likeablity , it's not surprising that we're rooting for him to get what he wants . but for me , the biggest surprise in the movie is mckellar . i knew that he was a talented director , but <POS> i had no idea he could act as well </POS> . his insistence to be alone , much to the dismay of his parents , is something that most people would find difficult to understand , but as played by mckellar , we can understand his reasons . he doesn't buy into the whole notion that just because everyone's going to die , he should immediately find some companionship . he realizes the relationship would be forced , and they would only be together for the sake of being together . mckellar <POS> gives a brilliant performance , and i hope he alternates between directing and acting </POS> . my only quibble with the film is that we never find out why the world is ending . i really wanted to know , and my need to know was hanging over the film at all times . <POS> i appreciate the fact </POS> that mckellar didn't want the material to rule the film , and that he wanted the movie to be more of a study in human behavious . however , in not telling the audience what the cause of earth's destruction is , he's left a big question that is in their minds throughout the film . another problem is we never see anybody panicking . i would imagine if the world was ending , and there was nothing to be done about it , a large segment of the population would be going out of their minds . instead , we are treated to shots of a giant crowd partying like it's new year's eve . i just didn't buy the fact that everyone had completely accepted their fate . no one had the urge to " rage against the dying of the light " . despite these small problems , " last night " <POS> is one of the best movies of the year </POS> . as opposed to the moronic " armageddon " , " last night " <POS> treats the subject at hand with maturity and believabilty </POS> . and bruce willis never shows up to save the day .
