''Last Call'' (originally titled ''Dominion'') is a 2017 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by Steven Bernstein. It is a

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

, which recreates the life of Welsh poet

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

through flashbacks during the famous drinking binge at the White Horse Tavern in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

which ended fatally during the fall of 1953. The unfinished film was screened at the 2016

Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival The Festival do Rio is an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populou ...

. The worldwide sales rights were acquired by Lightning Entertainment in November 2017.

Cast

Rhys Ifans Rhys Owain Evans (; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000), and '' Enduring Love'' (2004), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in ''Harry ...

Rodrigo Santoro Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (; born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor. He is known in Brazil for his appearance on local telenovelas and internationally for his portrayal of Persian King Xerxes I of Persia, Xerxes in the film ''300 (film), ...

as Carlos *

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

as Dr. Felton *

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai ( ; born 6 August 1982) is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' ...

Caitlin Thomas Caitlin Thomas (née Macnamara; 8 December 1913 – 31 July 1994) was an author and the wife of the poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Their marriage was a stormy affair, fueled by alcohol and infidelity, though the couple remained together until Dyl ...

Zosia Mamet Zosia Mamet (; born February 2, 1988) is an American actress. She is known for her breakout role as Shoshanna Shapiro in the HBO series '' Girls''. Mamet also starred as Annie Mouradian in the HBO Max original series '' The Flight Attendant'' an ...

as Penelope *

Tony Hale Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is most known for his comedic leading roles in the Fox series '' Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth, and as Gary Walsh on the HBO series '' Veep''. For the ...

John Malcolm Brinnin John Malcolm Brinnin (September 13, 1916 – June 26, 1998) was a Canadian-born American poet and literary critic. Life and work Brinnin was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to American parents John A. Brinnin and Frances Malcolm Brinni ...

* Philip Ettinger as Alexi * Jonathan Higgins as Julian *

Arthur Holden Arthur Holden (born August 28, 1959) is a Canadian actor and writer. Known for his roles such as Mr. Ratburn in ''Arthur'', Baba-Miao in '' Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat'', Mayor Mallard in ''The Little Twins'', and Mr. Larkin in later episod ...

as Dean *

Ellen David Ellen David is a Canadian actress. She was co-nominated for a 2007 Gemini Award for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series in '' The Business'' episode ''Check Please'' and nominated for a 2005 Prix Gemeaux for Meilleur rôle de ...

as Dorothy * Andrew Shaver as Reggie *

Jeremy Ferdman Jeremy Ferdman (born November 10, 1986) is a Canadian actor. Biography First seen in the Toronto production of "Flora, the Red Menace", Jeremy Ferdman started his acting career on stage. He has performed in theatres across North America including ...

as Michael * Noel Burton as Jeremy *

Guy Sprung Guy Sprung (born on April 17, 1947, in Ottawa, Canada) is a film and theatre director. He lives in the Mile End area of Montreal and was the artistic director of Infinitheatre for 22 years. He retired and was succeeded by Zach Fraser in March 202 ...

as Felix * Michael Riendeau as Colm Thomas * Mike Paterson as Teddy

Production

The film was shot in 2014. On May 1, 2014,

and

Diego Luna Diego Dionisio Luna Alexander (; born 29 December 1979) is a Mexican actor, director, and producer, best known for his portrayal of Cassian Andor in ''Rogue One, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (2016) and the Disney+ series ''Andor (TV series), ...

joined the cast. On May 29, 2014,

joined the cast.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on May 23, 2014, and ended on June 23, 2014. Post-production was completed in January 2020. The film ran into financial difficulties during the last week of filming when extras and technicians were not paid for the work they had done when the production ran out of money. Though producers insisted the crew would be paid, in 2015, extras and crew signed an open letter to

Pierre Lescure Pierre Lescure (; born ) is a French journalist and television executive. He is known for having founded the French TV music show ''Les Enfants du rock'' broadcast on public television from 1981 to 1988 and for having led the French Canal+ cha ...

, the president of the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, asking them to ban ''Dominion'' from being screened at the festival until they were paid, while the producers argued that the incomplete film would benefit from being shown at Cannes, where they could find investors.

Reception

The unfinished film was very well reviewed at The Rio Film Festival. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said: "''Dominion''s daring never becomes pretentiousness, and its sincere struggle to get to the heart of the endlessly fascinating Thomas myth — one with contemporary resonances, in its take on celebrity — finally makes the film as rewarding as it is uncomfortable..." ''ISTOE'', one of Brazil's three leading magazines said: "Also worthy of an Oscar is Rhys Ifans in Steven Bernstein's ''Dominion''." Luiz Carlos Merten for ESTADAO said: "Rhys Ifans' performance as the poet is Oscar worthy." and "Rodrigo (Santoro) could compete for best supporting." Plano Critico said: "Certainly one of the best films of the year" "''Dominion'' is one of those films that leaves us completely in love with it, a cinematographic work with identity, both as textual imagery, which immerses us completely in this dizzying trajectory of Dylan Thomas." A work in progress version of the film was also very well reviewed at The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Aurelia Aasa, film critic for Postimees Culture said: "...one of the most aesthetically pleasing and poetic films at PÖFF this year..." Ben Nicholson of "Cine Vue" named "Dominion" as one of the Top Ten Picks of the festival and said: "a virtuoso performance from Ifans – he’s pompous, verbose, and charismatic."

Awards

The unfinished film won the Best Actor award for Rhys Ifans's performance as Dylan Thomas at the 2017 POFF Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. POFF Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival is the largest film festival in Northern Europe.

References

External links

* {{Dylan Thomas American drama films Biographical films about poets 2017 drama films Cultural depictions of Dylan Thomas Films scored by Steven Bramson 2017 films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films shot in New Brunswick Films shot in Saint John, New Brunswick