Canadian Indie horror / drama feature The Last Anniversary follows a married couple, Aubrey (Jesse McQueen) and Tom (Kenneth Northfield), who are bringing their original wedding party back together to celebrate their 10 year anniversary. They host the party in the now abandoned, decaying hotel where they were married. The film is a family project by brothers Jason and Brett Butler, who credit themselves as writers/directors/producers/shooters/editors.
We are told that the world is ending on the next day. Aubrey also mentions that she wants closure on another event. 10 years ago something awful happened here, involving the disappearance of Aubrey’s maid of honor, Brenda (Jenna Vittoria). This makes for a juxtaposition of competing influences that result in a weird melange of an atmosphere.
As the day wears on, old frictions between the former friends surface. It becomes clear that Aubrey and Tom have sequestered them all here to revisit into the mystery of Brenda. When a spectral vision of Brenda begins appearing to haunt the guests, the party goes off the rails. Tom finds Binky (Ry Barrett) floating in the pool and manages to revive him with CPR. When they come together in the evening, Aubrey reveals her true intent to force the issue of what happened to Brenda, with the goal of discovering Brenda’s fate as a last act of penitence (or vengeance) before the end of the world.
“… They host the anniversary party in the now abandoned hotel where they were married …”
The group seems like normal, though troubled, people dealing with the vicissitudes of adult life, but there are dark undercurrents flowing beneath the gathering. Something has clearly happened in the world, as they make references to the bad situation, and at one point indicate that the internet has gone dark. None of them use mobile phones, which could mean all the cell towers are down. They believe an apocalypse is nigh.
The conceit of the action being set on the eve of the last day on earth rings hollow, as no one in the party is freaking out appropriately. There’s no backstory provided for the impending apocalypse, and it makes no difference to the outcome of the film. One of the couples left their children at home, which would mean they’d be apart when the end comes. The non-sequitur disconnect is jarring. The performances overall range from stilted and flat, to overwrought mania, and in some cases this pivot happens over the course of a few seconds. The pace of the film drags in spots, favoring a slow build to the finale. The horror elements are low key, a de-fanged monster. All that said, in contrast to weaker elements of the film, the cinematography sparkles. From the bleak winter landscapes to vibrant interiors.
The Butler brothers are clearly angling for the atmosphere of The Shining, wrapped around a reunion like John Sayles’ Return of the Secaucus 7, or Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill, but their reach exceeds their grasp here. The denouement borrows heavily from Lars von Trier’s Melancholia. All of the components for a solid film are in place, but it just misses the mark in terms of tone and characters earning their fate. The good news is that these filmmakers are onto something, and we can look for them to refine their style and deliver better films going forward.
"…these filmmakers are onto something."
