Last Days aims to unpack what was really going through the mind of John Allen Chau, a 26-year-old American missionary who, in 2018, attempted to contact and convert the Sentinelese, an isolated tribe on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean, only to be supposedly killed shortly after arriving. What was his journey like? How did his family see it? How did others? And most importantly, what drove him to do this? You’d think a movie from a bigger name than the usual Sundance fare, Justin Lin, would offer some answers, or at least something interesting to discuss. If only the film had as much conviction as Chau.
Lin, best known for directing Fast & Furious movies (he helmed five of them before leaving midway through his sixth), takes a hard turn back to indie filmmaking and returns to Sundance for the first time in 23 years. Introducing the film, he mentioned that the real-life TV coverage of Chau’s story touched him, particularly when he thought about the missionary’s family. Maybe it’s the years of directing blockbusters rubbing off on him, or maybe he just grabbed the first indie project he could find as a break from Vin Diesel, but whatever the case, Lin sheds little light on this story, aiming for depth and landing in shallow waters.
It starts off promising enough, with Chau’s fateful encounter on North Sentinel Island, the film’s only well-directed scene, before flashing back four years to chart his journey: leaving medical school for missionary work, meeting evangelists who fuel his desire to venture into the unknown. We also get glimpses of his father and what he goes through, along with a separate police investigation subplot unfolding in a different timeline, as an officer pieces together Chau’s story.
Sky Yang delivers a strong performance as Chau, undergoing physical transformations over the four-year timeline, starting off as a shy, clean-cut young man before growing into an athletic, long-haired adventurer. He does his best with the material, but the film reduces Chau to little more than impulsive bravado and daddy issues straight out of a mid-tier episode of Lost. There’s barely any meaningful exploration of his religious convictions, arguably the most important aspect of his story. Instead, Lin plays it safe, lightly condemning Chau’s mission through various secondary characters while also trying to give it dignity. The result is a film that pleases neither side of the debate.
Where Silence (2016) masterfully explored faith and sacrifice, Last Days sidesteps anything too complex. Chau justifies his journey as part of God’s plan, but the film ultimately frames it as a desperate attempt to prove himself, especially to his father. The problem is, we don’t see much of that supposed parental pressure. Chau, the son of a Chinese immigrant and an American woman, undoubtedly had expectations placed upon him, but the film barely touches on this. His father, rather than being a domineering figure, is portrayed as understanding, aside from nudging his son toward medicine, he doesn’t impose much. This could have been a compelling angle, but like much of the film, it’s left underdeveloped.
The missionary training scenes are just as superficial, glossing over what actually prepares someone for such a journey. Instead of exploring the real ethical and practical dilemmas of missionary work, the film tosses in two fictional subplots, both of which drag things down. The first follows a police officer investigating Chau’s death, attempting to comment on Indian law enforcement (barely scratching the surface) and gender discrimination (entirely unnecessary). The second, though shorter, is just as frustrating: Chau meets a group of tourists in India who challenge him to reconsider his mission. This scene touches on the same themes as the police subplot, making it entirely redundant. There’s one moment with an Australian girl that could have truly unpacked Chau’s character, but instead, it becomes yet another wasted opportunity, where the script once again runs away from any real complexity.
Beyond its thematic shortcomings, Last Days struggles as a narrative. The chronology is confusing, particularly in the final stretch, and the story lacks the kind of engaging hooks that could have made it compelling on a purely dramatic level. There’s little complexity or conflict on screen. Aside from Yang, the performances range from forgettable to grating, with Naveen Andrews and Toby Wallace standing out as particularly obnoxious.
Last Days had enormous potential but squanders it completely. It takes a story with layers of moral, religious, and cultural complexity and turns it into a frustratingly shallow experience. At this point, I’d rather see Lin back at the helm of a Fast & Furious movie.
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- Where to watch
Prime Video- Where to watch
- Not available for streaming
Play trailer
- Original title
- Last Days
- Director
- Justin Lin
- Cast
- Sky Yang, Radhika Apte, Naveen Andrews, Ken Leung, Toby Wallace, Ciara Bravo, Marny Kennedy, Claire Price
- Rated
- PG-13
- Screenwriter
- Ben Ripley, Dylan Coburn
- Composer
- Nathan Alexander
- Cinematography
- Oliver Bokelberg, Darius Shu, Dylan Goss
- Editor
- Dylan Highsmith
- Country
- Language
- English