The Last Battle

Luc Besson's first feature, set in a world after a catastrophe. Everything has dried out, the cities are ruined, and people have lost the ability to speak. A man tries to survive among the wreckage, builds himself a small aircraft and meets other people. Among the few who remain, the matters at stake are water, shelter and women. The central decision is this: there is almost no dialogue. The one exception is a greeting spoken in a scene where two characters inhale a gas that lets them talk briefly. Everything else is carried by image, sound and the body. It was shot in black and white and in widescreen. Besson made it at twenty-three on a small budget; it ran to several times the first estimate and still stayed modest. Jean Reno works with Besson here for the first time, and the two would come together on four more films. An important starting point for anyone who likes wordless storytelling, dystopia and the energy of a first film. For a viewer expecting dialogue and explanation, nothing is told in words; the meaning has to be built by the viewer.