3. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Ben Sanderson is an alcoholic whose drinking has cost him his Hollywood screen writing job. Fed up with life, he heads to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. In Las Vegas, he strikes up a relationship with hardened hooker Sera, who has abusive pimp. Ben offers Sera $500 to go with him to his room. He doesn't want sex, he wants to talk. They strike up an odd relationship in which Sera is not allowed to chide Ben for his drinking. Ben is not allowed to chastise Sera's profession. Their relationship deteriorates due to Ben's drinking and a shocking act of gang rape in which Sera is the victim. On his deathbed, Ben and Sara have sex and Ben can die a happy man knowing that Sarah loved him for who he is, warts and all. Drinking yourself to death is a particularly nasty way to commit suicide. Ben wants someone to share this hell with him, but not try to save him - hence his relationship with Sera - he calls Sera his "angel". Directed with considerable flair by Mike Figgis, who is definitely non judgemental about his characters, Leaving Las Vegas is interesting in its depiction of a man's suicide. Surely shooting yourself would be an easier way to die? Maybe Ben just wants to suffer or wants the haze of alcohol to dull his suffering. The film is based on a semi-biographical novel by John O'Brien who killed himself two weeks into production. The crew decided to carry on as a memorial to him.