The Last

As for any nuggets of interest that might be there, the film's off-putting clumsiness makes digging for them a chore.

It's the type of premise that simply makes one wonder what they would do in a similar situation, which is usually a good sign.

Although the script by director Jeff Lipsky lends itself more to a stage or even a book adaptation, much in this complex, cross-generational drama is provocative, profound and worth considering.

There's something undeniably fearless in Lipsky's filmmaking, which makes virtually no concessions to his audience. Still, he seems to have chosen the wrong medium to express himself, and it's becoming all too clear that he's not improving with practice.

To say that thespians live for opportunities such as this is an understatement, and Schull, whose restrained underplaying only makes the material more powerful, makes the most of it.

The harrowing outlandishness of the dramatic situation is almost sufficient to emotionally concuss the viewer. And the movie is quite accomplished in the most important respects.

It is well worth seeing because it reaches emotional depths in revelations that are as haunting as they are powerful. There is many a glimmer of greatness here, even if the film itself falls short of greatness.

The machinations and contortions and straight-up barefacedness of Lipsky's screenplay... make once more for eye-popping performances even when there are eye-rolling details.

A theatrical Holocaust drama with a shocking revelation.

To say that The Last isn't daring in its approach would be an understatement...