Last Days is an American biographical drama movie that came out in 2025. It was directed by Justin Lin and is based on Alex Perry’s article The Last Days of John Allen Chau. The movie looks into the life of John Allen Chau—a missionary who tried to get in touch with the ‘Sentinelese people’ who lived on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean. The story talks about Chau’s strong religious beliefs and his determination to convert the tribe, even though they didn’t want to talk to anyone from outside their group. The movie follows Chau’s journey as well as an Indian inspector named Meera Ganali (played by Radhika Apte) who is looking into what happened to Chau.
Chau’s story is told in a nuanced way, with themes of faith, identity, and sacrifice being explored. A lot has been written about Chau’s last moments, but Last Days shows his struggles, what drove him, and the results of his actions in a new way.
WHEN AND WHERE WAS LAST DAYS (2025) FILMED?
The main filming for Last Days began in Thailand on May 17, 2024, and filming ended in 38 days. Justin Lin, who is known for making the fast-paced Fast & Furious movies, had to change gears for this independent project, which required him to work on a smaller scale. Even though it had a smaller budget, the movie shows Chau’s journey all over the world, with scenes shot in several countries.
City in Phuket Island, Thailand
Most of the movie was shot in Thailand—mostly near the island of ‘Phuket’. Some of the most important parts of the movie’s atmosphere were the tropical settings that gave Chau’s interactions with nature and his preparations for the dangerous trip to North Sentinel Island a real feel. The coastal scenes in Thailand made a striking background that showed how remote the island was and how dangerous Chau’s mission was.
Other Countries
The movie didn’t just focus on Thailand, though. Lin and his crew took the show to other countries to show Chau’s experiences all over the world. In addition to the US, the UK, Iceland, India, and central California were all shown in the movie. In particular, the scenes set in the UK and California helped show Chau’s childhood and his training for the mission. The scenes set in Iceland showed how hard it was for Chau to prepare. It was originally planned to film in India, but it did not happen in the final cut.
Based on the true story of missionary John Chau, director Justin Lin’s independent film LAST DAYS almost didn’t happen because of money problems. The movie looks at the life of Chau, a 25-year-old man who went to North Sentinel Island to try to convert a tribe that lived there to Christianity but tragically died there.
Lin was having trouble with money when Keanu Reeves gave him an unexpected boost. At TheWrap’s Sundance Studio during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, Lin talked about how Reeves stepped in and saved the day. Lin said “Everything fell apart.” “I thought everything was going to be okay at that point. Then Keanu called and said, “I want to help.” It was moving.” Even though Reeves isn’t listed as a producer, he helped get the money by using his connections and making calls out of kindness.
The ambitious project was brought to life by an international crew, which Justin Lin thanked in an Instagram post in September 2024. “To our Thai crew—Thank you for being such gracious hosts as we braved the unpredictable ocean, jungle, and monsoon rain with your beautiful smiles” he said. Lin also thanked the crews in the UK, LA, and India for their hard work, pointing out that the movie was made with help from people all over the world.
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Central California’s hot desert sun was used to film the last scenes of Last Days, which show how hard and intense Chau’s journey was. It got as hot as 120 degrees in the desert scenes, which were very different from the lush jungles of Thailand. This made the extremes Chau had to deal with in his search even more clear.
Lin’s earlier independent works told stories through small groups of characters, and Last Days has the big visuals he is known for in his big movies. By combining these styles—the movie makes Chau’s mission and its sad ending very powerful and thought-provoking.
When filming ended in September 2024, Justin Lin talked about how special it was to work on a movie with such a passionate and different group of people. He said, “It was truly the biggest little indie film and I’m forever grateful to our amazing cast and crew, coming together from all around the world to bring this story to life.”
Stay tuned to spikytv.com for more information about Last Days and how it was made.
IS MEERA GANALI BASED ON A REAL INDIAN INSPECTOR IN ‘LAST DAYS’?
