The Last Face

{{Infobox film

| name = The Last Face

| image = The Last Face.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Sean Penn

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Bill Gerber
Matt Palmieri
Bill Pohlad

}}

| writer = Erin Dignam

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Hans Zimmer

| cinematography = Barry Ackroyd

| editing = Jay Cassidy

| studio = {{Plainlist|

FilmHaven Entertainment
Gerber Pictures
Matt Palmieri Productions
River Road Entertainment

}}

| distributor = {{Plainlist|

Saban Films (North America)
Lionsgate (International){{cite web|title='The Last Face': Cannes Review|website=Screen International|first=Tim|last=Grierson|date=20 May 2016|access-date=25 October 2021|url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-last-face-cannes-review/5104229.article}}

}}

| released = {{Film date|2016|5|20|Cannes|2017|6|29|United States}}

| runtime = 132 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $1.2 million{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3286560/|title=The Last Face (2016)|website=Box Office Mojo|accessdate=October 16, 2021}}

}}

The Last Face is a 2016 American drama film directed by Sean Penn and written by Erin Dignam. The film stars Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Jean Reno. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival,{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-live-stream-2016-film-festival-lineup-list|title=Cannes 2016: Live Stream & Full Festival Lineup|date=2016-03-30|publisher=IndieWire|accessdate=2016-05-06}}{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/cannes-film-festival-official-selection-lineup-2016-1201753269/|title=Cannes Film Festival 2016 Lineup: The BFG, Nice Guys, Money Monster|date=2016-04-14|work=Variety|author=Peter Debruge, Elsa Keslassy|accessdate=2016-05-06}} debuting to generally poor reviews.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/markets-festivals/sean-penn-last-face-cannes-1201779504/|title=Sean Penn's 'The Last Face' Ripped Apart on Twitter After Cannes Debut|date=May 20, 2016|work=Variety}} The film was released on DirecTV on June 29, 2017, before being released on video on demand and in theaters on July 28, 2017, by Saban Films.

Plot

Wren Peterson is a physician and activist working in West Africa with the organization Doctors of the World that her late father started many years ago. She is happy to lead the organization, but frequently finds herself negatively comparing herself to her father's achievements. In 2003, Wren meets Miguel, a handsome surgeon who has also devoted himself to treating people from impoverished and war-torn sections of the world. The two fall in love but Wren soon discovers that Miguel has had a prior sexual relationship with her cousin, which contributes to the decay of their relationship.

Cast

Charlize Theron as Wren Petersen
Javier Bardem as Miguel Leon
Adèle Exarchopoulos as Ellen
Jean Reno as Dr. Love
Jared Harris as Dr. John Farber
Sibongile Mlambo as Assatu
Merritt Wever as Marlee

Production

On April 10, 2014, it was announced Sean Penn would direct the film, with Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem set to star in the film.{{cite web|last=Busch |first=Anita |url=https://deadline.com/2014/04/last-face-movie-sean-penn-charlize-theron-javier-bardem-africa-712605/ |title=Sean Penn To Direct Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem In 'The Last Face' |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=2014-04-10 |accessdate=2016-05-06}} Principal photography began on August 1, 2014, in Cape Town.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssninsider.com/on-the-set-for-81114-jurassic-world-wraps-the-last-face-starts/ |title=On The Set For 8/11/14: 'Jurassic World' Wraps, 'The Last Face' Starts |work=SSN Insider |date=2014-08-11 |accessdate=2016-05-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021035834/http://www.ssninsider.com/on-the-set-for-81114-jurassic-world-wraps-the-last-face-starts/ |archivedate=2014-10-21 }}

Release

File:Cannes 2016 40.jpg.]]

The film premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2016.{{cite web|author=Owen Gleiberman |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/cannes-the-last-face-sean-penn-charlize-theron-1201779501/ |title=Cannes review: Charlize Theron in Sean Penn's The Last Face' |work=Variety |date=2016-05-20 |accessdate=2016-05-21}} On September 8, 2016, Saban Films acquired U.S distribution rights to the film.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/saban-films-sean-penns-the-last-face-release-date-1201815533/|title=Saban Films To Distribute Sean Penn's 'The Last Face'|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Anita|last=Busch|date=September 8, 2016|accessdate=September 8, 2016}} The film was released on DirecTV on June 29, 2017, before being released on video on demand and in theaters on July 28, 2017, by Saban Films.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/06/27/see-last-trailer-film-sean-penn-charlize-theron-made-couple/103241590/ |title=See 'Last' trailer for film Sean Penn, Charlize Theron made together |publisher=Usatoday.com |date=2017-06-27 |accessdate=2017-07-05}}

Reception

The reception for The Last Face at Cannes was very negative and The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the film was booed during its screening.{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/sean-penn-film-the-last-face-booed-at-cannes-20160521-gp0gbu.html|title=Sean Penn film The Last Face booed at Cannes|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=21 May 2016 |access-date=2016-05-21}}{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/the-last-face-reviews-sean-penn-charlze-theron-cannes-2016|title='The Last Face' Review Roundup: Critics Exhaust Themselves Finding New Ways to Mock Sean Penn|last=Sharf|first=Zack|date=20 May 2016 |publisher=IndieWire|access-date=2016-05-21}} The film holds a rating of 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 3/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "The Last Face's noble intentions are nowhere near enough to carry a fundamentally misguided story that arguably demeans the demographic it wants to defend."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_face_2016/|title=The Last Face|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=2020-05-05}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 16 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-face|title=The Last Face |website=Metacritic |access-date=August 21, 2021}}

The Hollywood Reporter panned the film, writing "A backdrop of Third World atrocity, suffering and merciless human-rights violations serves as the canvas for a faux-profound Hollywood love story in Sean Penn's stunningly self-important but numbingly empty cocktail of romance and insulting refugee porn, The Last Face."{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/sean-penns-last-face-cannes-896014|title=Sean Penn's 'The Last Face': Cannes Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=20 May 2016 |access-date=2016-05-21}} The Guardian and The Telegraph were equally dismissive, with The Guardian commenting that "Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem give career worst performances as doctors falling in love in west Africa while black characters are relegated to the background".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/20/the-last-face-review-sean-penn-charlize-theron-crass-romance-cannes|title=The Last Face review – African conflict is aphrodisiac for white people in Sean Penn's crass romance|last=Lee|first=Benjamin|date=2016-05-20|work=The Guardian|access-date=2016-05-21}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/05/20/cannes-2016-the-last-face-is-the-pompous-nadir-of-sean-penns-car/|title=Cannes 2016: The Last Face is the pompous nadir of Sean Penn's career - review|work=The Telegraph|date=20 May 2016 |access-date=2016-05-21 |last1=Robey |first1=Tim }}