Fantasia Fest 2026 gave me the opportunity to experience history by witnessing Myanmar’s first found footage horror film, The Last Footage. The movie is shot in first-person, with smart glasses as the vehicle for this point of view. If you know me, you know I LOVE found footage. There is something about watching a cursed tape or being privy to the last moments of the main characters; they are usually dead by the time we find the footage. I also believe that making your first movie is like driving a bus full of wild chickens while blindfolded, akin to teaching.
The Last Footage has an interesting and ambitious setup, but it doesn’t always deliver. Still, it was enough to get me excited for the next found footage film from Myanmar. The plot follows a group of friends visiting a remote, and very cursed forest through the lens of smart glasses. As usual, the events take a turn. It’s going to seem like another routine low-budget found footage flick to most viewers. However, being the FIRST from Myanmar is a big deal, even if there’s plenty of room for improvement.
What works
Unfortunately, smart glasses are a thing. There is the very real horror of your stream becoming a scene from rotten.com (If you’re old enough to remember that). Although I believe that wearing smart glasses feels like the first cousin of wearing a wire, people are flocking to the technology. We are in a reality that does not value privacy as much as going viral or getting “the shot”.
Typically, if a found footage film features a wearable camera, it’s something like a GoPro. While that is plausible, the everyday person doesn’t use that kind of camera. The movie has to build a plot around characters who would have that tech, like documentarians, athletes, ghost hunters, etc. I loved the idea of using the smart glasses to capture footage because every day, people wear them. There are plenty of people who would wear smart glasses as an everyday accessory, the same way they would wear a smart watch. This technology creates pathways to answer the age-old questions: “Why are they holding a camera?”
I love the idea of POV Horror. It feels like the halfway point between horror movies and horror video games, two things I greatly enjoy. Watching The Last Footage at 12am in the dark with your headphones in is an experience. Some parts of the movie almost feel like a video game cutscene. The viewpoint makes it easy to place yourself in the characters’ shoes. This can be a very effective method for the genre, but it often limits the cinematography. There needs to be something interesting happening within the scope of the camera constantly. Regrettably, this is one of the areas where the film drops the ball.
What doesn’t work
The Last Footage sets the viewers up for incredible lore, but leaves our hands empty. The characters are going to this haunted forest, but the lore is vague. There’s a character who has lived in the area. I wanted more information from him, and why he was willing to hop on the bus with the group without a single packed bag. A witch is introduced, but the only thing we know about her is that she wants her son to come back, and she clearly participates in folkmagic. She spends a lot of her screentime laughing maniacally, which becomes exhausting after a while. The plot then splits its time between two separate evil entities that we have limited information about. We know that they are a threat because people are dying, but we are unsure of the rules or scope of the evil forces.
The sound design does not do The Last Footage any favors. Found footage is already notorious for poor sound design. It’s common to experience screaming for multiple scenes. The screams make the microphones peak, which is normal for the characters. However, it’s not the best experience for the viewer. On top of the stressful sound design, there are scenes where you have no idea what’s happening. Someone is running with the recording device, and all we see is the camera violently heaving up and down. The confusion pulled me out of the film temporarily.
The Last Footage took bold swings by having multiple threats in one place and introducing everyday people to that environment. I love the POV idea and the use of relevant technology. The script would have benefited from showing the viewers who the characters were, instead of their personalities being included in the dialogue. The standard tropes are present, but the danger jumps off quickly. I appreciate some of the makeup. There’s a creature in a suit that looks great! We see too much of it, but I’m not mad at the design. Ultimately, The Last Footage is missing the details of the lore that it teases. Also, the pacing makes it easy to tune in and tune out. I think it’s a solid first entry into found footage, but I have higher hopes for the next film.
