The Last Time I Committed Suicide is a 1997 drama directed by Stephen T. Kay. Based on a letter written by Neal Cassady to Jack Kerouac, it stars Thomas Jane as Cassady. The cast also includes Keanu Reeves, Adrien Brody, Gretchen Mol and Claire Forlani. The film takes place in 1946, and is loosely based on a letter from Cassady to Jack Kerouac. While the letter was written in 1950, the action of the letter took place when he was 20. Thomas Jane plays Neal Cassady, a beatnik who is partly responsible for bringing together many of the famous beat generation figures. Neal is a unique soul,... poetic and a dreamer. But he is caught between the excitement of the life of a drifter and the chance of a traditional home. Told from Neal's perspective, in a form of a letter, it follows his life before and after the suicide attempt by his longtime love, Joan and how it altered him. Demonstrating Neal's active mind and ever changing thoughts, the film jumps back and forth between before and after the attempt. During the credits, as Neal starts to write his letter, the viewer experiences his odd attention span and his schizophrenic like ability to talk to himself.
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| Release date: | June 5, 1997 |
| Directed by: | Stephen T. Kay |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 92 Minutes |
| Producer: | Edward Bates |
| Music by: | Tyler Bates |
| Screenplay by: | Neal Cassady |
| Estimated budget: | $4,000,000 |
| Genre: | Biography |