The Last Act

The Last Act is a psychological thriller that follows Jacqueline (Lauren Karaman), a struggling musical theatre actress living in New York City. After enduring countless rejections from auditions and navigating a side job as a barista, her frustrations reach a breaking point as her casting director mocks her appearance and performance at an audition. In a desperate attempt for a chance in the spotlight, she does what it takes to ensure her casting director, Andrew (Al Pagano), pays for his cruel behaviour.

The central performance from Lauren Karaman in her portrayal of Jacqueline is profoundly engaging as she conveys nuance, while balancing her personal struggles with her body image and her dream of becoming a successful theatre actress. On the other side of the coin, you have Al Pagano, who successfully embodies the despicable nature of Andrew and rips apart Jacqueline’s appearance in an attempt to turn her dreams into a mere humiliation. As a viewer, it is genuinely tough to witness Jacqueline receive the amount of verbal abuse she endures, with individuals commenting on her body and disregarding her hopes for the future. The filmmakers do their best to employ a social commentary regarding the current state of expected body standards from women in theatre, which is a commendable choice.

Despite the film's tight pace and brisk runtime, the writer/director Zilong Zee does an incredible job establishing Jacqueline’s characterisation and the world around her. Cinematographer Adam Weinberg shoots New York City as if it were almost its own character, utilising stunning wide shots to give the audience a brief glimpse into the chaos of the city’s central area. Another significant positive in the technical department is the make-up, which feels intentional and well-placed in the narrative, complementing the story despite its budget constraints. The piece is also accompanied by a sombre musical score that profoundly matches the tonal shifts and changing mental state of Jacqueline. It's an anxiety-inducing experience throughout, which never lets up until its climax, anchored by some frenetic editing and a psychological narrative.

Unfortunately, the conclusion to the narrative suffers from being just minor due to the film wrapping up abruptly and the script trying to juggle a convoluted amount of twists. The lack of closure is also unsatisfying for the conclusion of Jacqueline’s character arc, and the central reveal is too safe, given how darkly absurd the narrative can feel at times. Perhaps the film's tight runtime is a detriment to the experience at times, as a prolonged runtime could have potentially fleshed out the script's ideas on a deeper level to ensure the conclusion is less anticlimactic. While the themes of female body standards are an exceptional aspect of the film, the filmmakers could have utilised these themes more eloquently and made more ballsy choices within its climax. Pushing these issues aside, the experience is still mostly engaging and never loses sight of its character-focused exploration.

The Last Act is a thoroughly engaging psychological thriller with a bite of social commentary on body standards and the expectations placed on women’s appearances in the theatre. Despite the flaws in its anticlimactic finale, the experience is enhanced by a phenomenal lead performance from Lauren Karaman and is directed eloquently by Zilong Zee, delivering a nail-biting thrill ride.