[Im Hoon-gu's Philmusic] The Story of a Man Who Drinks Like There's No Tomorrow

Leaving Las Vegas

[Asia Economy Reporter Im Hoon-gu]

This man drinks too much. He drinks as if his life depends on it.

There are countless drinking scenes in movies, but perhaps the person who drinks the most is the protagonist of "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995). Ben (Nicolas Cage), an unemployed screenwriter. Severely addicted to alcohol, with no job or family, all he has left is alcohol. With a small severance pay in hand, Ben buys a cart full of liquor at a mart and heads to the city of pleasure, Las Vegas. Having already been given a death sentence by his doctor, he chooses Las Vegas as the place to meet his end.

Waiting for death, or perhaps drinking to die, he encounters Sara (Elizabeth Shue), a woman on the night streets. Although she sells her body for money, she lives without losing her pride. As they talk, they feel sympathy for each other. The two start living together on the condition that they do not interfere in each other's lives. However, their lives, fragile as if they would break at a touch, are far from peaceful.

The strange behavior of a man facing death continues. Sara despairs at Ben’s actions?cursing, fighting, and even bringing another prostitute into their home. In Hollywood films, which mostly have happy endings and moral lessons, Leaving Las Vegas is so lonely and sometimes even seems cruel.

This film offers no premature hope or moral. It is just the repeated lament and self-hatred of a drunkard. It unfolds a landscape of a city of pleasure built on a desert and a desolate world living in a mirage. The director’s gaze sympathizes with them but does not seem affectionate.

Mike Figgis, the director and musician, made this film. He casually moves between film and music, shooting and playing as he pleases. Shot on 16mm film and blown up to theatrical film, this movie is as free-spirited and lonely as a jazz musician’s improvisational session.

Did Figgis pick Sting after listening to the soundtrack "Shape of My Heart" from the movie "L?on" (1994)? Sting’s style, which is not bound to a specific genre, his moderately husky voice, his seemingly casual singing style, and his enigmatic lyrics... Sting’s contribution marks the epitome of this film’s loneliness. Sting’s voice and jazz-style melodies in songs like "Angel Eyes," "My One and Only Love," and "Lonely Town" remind us once again that humans are fundamentally solitary beings.

PS: Don’t miss the pool kiss scene, which has been parodied many times in dramas and commercials. Drinking underwater (though whether that’s possible is questionable) and indulging in each other is not just beautiful but heartrending.

Editor-in-chief keygrip@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.