LAST AND FIRST MEN

A Refocus Film Festival Selection

The first and only feature directed by the late composer and musician Jóhann Jóhannsson (Sicario, Arrival, Mandy) is an adaptation of the cult 1930 sci-fi novel by British author Olaf Stapledon with narration by Tilda Swinton. Two billion years in the future, humanity finds itself on the verge of extinction. Almost all that remains are lone, surreal monuments—the futuristic, solemn, Brutalist stone slabs erected during the communist era in the former Yugoslav republics, arrestingly photographed in luminous 16mm black-and-white. This gorgeously spare work is poetic, hopeful, and tragic. An allegory of remembrance, ideals, and the death of Utopia.

With its world premiere a mere weeks before COVID-19, this sumptuous and profound film failed to see the big screen in the U.S. until very recently. It remains an essential cinematic experience and one that leaves a lasting legacy for its creator.

Official Selection: 2020 Berlin International Film Festival