It’s Intense, Disturbing, and Brilliant — and It Justified the Existence of Horror’s Most Hated Subgenre

*Content Warning: Discussion of Sexual Assault and ViolenceOne of horror’s most controversial subgenres, rape and revenge movies got popular in the 1970s, when the Hays Code finally kicked the bucket and directors were eager to put shocking content on the big screen. In the most flattering of lights, rape and revenge films depict sexual assault for what it is: real world horror. However, rape and revenge films can edge into torture porn, and use sexual assault as plot motivations for male characters to enjoy morally justified ultraviolence. Just a year after the #MeToo movement exploded, and this subgenre got put on thin ice, Cédric Jouarie’s debut film The Very Last Day was released. A Taiwanese horror, The Very Last Day is an open-wound of a film, shining an ugly spotlight on predatory behavior in artistic spaces and the shame victims often face in the aftermath. And yet, it never once feels exploitative. The Very Last Day is the perfect defense of why rape and revenge horror films deserve to exist!

The Script for ‘The Very Last Day’ Was Personal for Writer-Director Cédric Jouarie

From the genuinely harrowing opening chase scene through the mountains, The Very Last Day promises to be a grim, unflinching look at sexual assault. Following Lawrence Ong as the successful novelist Raymond, The Very Last Day initially presents itself as a drama. Hot off the heels of his new book telling the tale of a summer romance that culminates in a sexual assault, Raymond cannot enjoy his success due to his wife, Viola’s (Heng-Yin Chou), suffocating unhappiness. Tensions are high in their marriage, with Viola insisting she cannot write anything because of Raymond poaching stories from her life for his creative inspiration. When superfan Melanie (Wei-Yi Lin) ingratiates herself with Raymond, it’s no time at all before the two find themselves entangled. But a romantic getaway to the mountains quickly turns dark when Melanie reveals Raymond wrote his latest novel about an assault he perpetrated against her as a teenager. The Very Last Day seamlessly takes a sharp turn away from drama and into stomach-turning horror. Winking at several horror titans, The Very Last Day ​​​​​​ultimately wants to do something different and unique.

Debuting with a sucker punch of a movie like The Very Last Day, it’s no surprise journalists were eager to learn about Jouarie’s creative process. In an interview, Jouarie confided that it took 10 years between first writing the script and having the film edited. The long process was actually therapeutic for Jouarie, who was working through the trauma of having been assaulted by a friend’s parent in his youth. Tackling such a personal experience and defamiliarizing it into fiction was not only a useful exercise in processing his own ordeal, but it also empowered him to sensitively approach such an inflamed topic. With so many people outright dismissing rape and revenge films, it is easy to forget that movies like The Very Last Day are doing important work by depicting sexual assault and violence as primary sources of horror. All the horror in The Very Last Day ​​​​​​is related to assault, creating a pendulum of dread swinging over the entire film. The opening scene sets a suffocating atmosphere, and as the Raymond/Viola drama progresses, more scenes of the girl from the opening are spliced throughout. Constantly waiting to return to this narrative builds suspense, and each new vignette is a knife twist.

Wei-Yi Lin Plays Miss Melanie Perfectly

Revenge stories of any kind often self-critique, with anxious hand-wringing from the writers about how extreme violence is always ultimately inexcusable. This often leaves the character seeking vengeance in a no-man’s land of morality. When the systems fail to bring them peace, do they forfeit sympathy by demanding their justice? Starring as the deeply scarred Miss Melanie, Wei-Yi Lin’s knockout performance makes it impossible for the audience to write her off as deranged or unjust. Tormented by her abuser writing the horror story of her adolescence into a best-selling novel, she is set on making him pay. First appearing as an adoring fan, all big smiles and quirky fumbling, Lin can flip a switch and become dangerous and vengeful. Lin’s performance is so impressive that it’s almost like watching two different actresses. The Very Last Day has drawn comparisons to Misery, with the premise of a fan holding a beloved author hostage. But emotionally thoughtful writing and a strong performance from Lin ensure Melanie never trips into cartoonish villainy. Melanie and her plight are afforded real dignity by the movie.

In an increasingly sanitized Hollywood, it is a breath of fresh air to find films that unflinchingly address ugly and uncomfortable subjects. Cédric Jouarie’s debut film out of Taiwan confronts sexual assault and predatory behavior by figures deemed “artists.” Functionally a 2-hour-long gut punch, The Very Last Day is nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s hard to believe this is Jouarie’s first directorial effort. And yet, on his first try, Jouarie proves it is possible to approach the topics of rape, revenge, and victimhood in a non-exploitative fashion.

The Very Last Day

Release Date

December 9, 2018

Runtime

123 minutes

Director

Cedric Jouarie

Writers

Cedric Jouarie

Producers

Dan Kee Chuang