Quick-Thoughts: Derek Jarman’s The Last of England (1987)

This soundtrack has no business being so damn cool. 

I love getting so wrapped up in movies such as The Last of England, where the editing and variety of visual content is so unpredictable and moreover flashy that it feels like borderline hypnotism, as if the author is truly trying to get us into a trance of his mind skimming through his life back and forth from A to a nightmarishly conjectured Z. The film is vulnerable and bravely genuine in that case though, because while the content is undoubtedly political — screw Thatcher and Section 28, amiright? — it is openly personal too, proclaiming emotion and nostalgia to be pieces of the footer for his hatred of a modern country and visions of its demise; same would probably go for any other human being in this position as much as most would refuse to admit or show it. 

Derek Jarman first found out that he was HIV positive during the making of this movie; in these visions of apocalypse you can feel that new found fear for the end, especially in its climax which is absolutely horrifying to endure. 

Verdict: B+

“The Last of England” is now available to stream on Kanopy.

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