Ben Mullinkosson’s The Last Year of Darkness is an intimate and vibrant documentary-exposé on nightlife subculture in Chengdu, China. The title, ostensibly, refers to the film’s central nightclub, Funky Town, in which drag artists, DJs and outcasts gather to drink and smoke copiously.
The Last Year of Darkness is a celebration of what happens when the sun goes down: it’s a neon-heavy and bass-filled ninety minutes of hedonism. A central motif is one of excess; vomiting scenes are ten-a-penny and lurk around every corner.
One of the central subjects in the film voices a concern to Mullinkosson, namely, that he won’t be able to capture real life from behind the lens. But he does succeed to a degree – the subjects are humanised through their words, reflections, and conversations. Candidly filmed, we are invited into an alternative world of enhanced emotion, where people seek solace in human connection and liberty.
2023, Ben Mullinkonson
7.0
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