Starring Kathleen Robertson (Beth) & Andrea Roth (Diana), Last Exit is the story of two women, whose lives collide on a hot & humid summer day. From director John Fawcett, comes this tale of what happens when stress finally gets the better of us in our hectic life. Beth is a divorced mother of Benji, a young boy in a wheelchair. They live in small cramped apartment in Montreal, Quebec. In the same city lives Diana, a successful advertising agent up for a promotion & mother of two. It is set during a sweltering heat wave in the city and both the stress and the humidity finally takes a toll.
Diana cuts off Beth during traffic on the speedway, leading to the latter missing her turn and having to go throught a longer time to collect a courier for her office. She ends up having to waste a lot of time to get the package back. There is a great scene as she chases the courier guy on foot, while he is on a bicycle. She ends up getting fired as the delay caused problems for her boss. Meanwhile, Diana is in between two huge projects and is trying to get a tv commercial for a sports car to be completed. Her son gets suspended for bringing his dad’s gun to school, her husband is trying to get a new job, her daughter is going through her first period and Diana herself is pregnant.
Beth’s ex-husband is now wanting to get his son to stay with him in light of Beth losing her job. Angry at him, she nearly crashes into a truck and Benji gets a cut in the process. His father comes to take him to his home and have him stay with him and his current girlfriend. Angry, upset & frustrated Beth tries to go home but her car stalls. Diana, who is trying to salvage a botched up project, is rushing to the airport and keeps honking at Beth, who snaps and yells at the former. Diana quickly moves the car, almost hitting Beth. Livid at the rudeness, Beth is at her wits end and starts attacking Diana’s car, smashing the side mirror. She chases Diana’s car and they both crash on a road that is being constructed.
Diana is clearly the more heavily injured of the two and lies in an upturned car as the rains start to pour. Beth comes to her senses and calls the police to come to Diana’s aid. Although injured herself, she tries to help Diana and informs her that help is on the way. However, Diana still reeling & confused from the attack, shoots Beth with the guy that her son had taken from his father. They are both rushed to the hospital where Beth dies. Diana’s leg is amputated and the movie ends on the possibility of her going to jail (although she claims self-defense) but her baby is fine and Benji goes to stay with his father.
I was quite impressed with this fast paced and though-provoking movie. The music plays a very important role as it builds up the tension and frustration that builds in the two women and especially in Beth. 8 outta 10.