FANTASIA 2026: ‘The Last Footage’ Uses New Tech To Tread Shaky Ground

As one of the first found footage horrors out of Myanmar (formerly Burma), Arkar Soe Oo’s The Last Footage carries a lot of pressure on its shoulders, or well, glasses as it were. Shot on 4K cameras within smart glasses, the found footage horror easily immerses the audience visually in what is happening onscreen. Unfortunately, stilted dialogue and performances, as well as weaknesses found in the scene blocking, undo much of that naturally immersive quality that found footage needs to sell.

The Last Footage opens with visual demonstrations of how these smart glasses capture footage. Through each ID, we get a glimpse into a person’s life as seen through these glasses. However, each scenario intensifies, ultimately ending with a ghost hunting adventure that goes horribly awry (and something we never revisit again, despite the mystery this situation evokes). Then the film shifts its focus to the socially awkward Aung Khant (Arkar Soe Oo) and his friends before their outing. 

Aung Khant’s introduction does enough to show his general awkwardness. He has to look up on a search engine how to approach a woman, is generally endearing when we do get one-on-one time with him, but he then takes a backseat once his friends come into the picture. Each one is best described as fulfilling a specific trope, and the dialogue doesn’t help the generalizations in the introductory dinner scene, when we get all these characters together in one space pre-chaos. 

The Last Footage has way too many characters, none of whom feel entirely like real people.

There’s a fair amount of time spent with these characters, yet the dialogue and performances do little to flesh them out and make them feel like real people before the group sets foot in the presumably cursed Wingabar Forest. Thu Ya (Charlie Nyein), the one who has organized the outing to this recently inherited land, does himself few favors as a character to root for, and his treatment of his ‘Harbinger of Doom‘ uncle Ko Nyo (Kyaw Kyaw Bo) doesn’t help. 

Making use of the naturally creepy environment of the forest does a lot of heavy lifting once the sun sets in The Last Footage. Spine-chilling screeches and the disappearance of Linn’s (Li Li Kyaw Khaing) brother, Min Thant, add immediate anxiety and tension. Coupled with the shaky cam that comes from the smart glasses, the immersion factor is on. Unfortunately, things start to fall apart once the characters come upon their first house, equipped with a rather one-note witch. 

From the repetitive dumps of exposition to the length of her inclusion at this first checkpoint, the natural tension from the initial sprint dissipates as things devolve into crosstalk. Frankly, with the number of characters onscreen in The Last Footage, adding more creates a rather muddy array, especially when not enough has been done to solidify them as people. It also becomes most apparent in this scene the limitations of the glasses when it comes to constructive blocking, with body positioning not coming across as naturally as one might expect in real life.

The look and feel of The Last Footage is its strongest asset.

In some ways, The Last Footage reminds me of a first-person recorded immersive theatrical experience. The glasses capture everything, but leave little room for the actors to really hide, forcing some moments to drag on longer than is natural. With Aung Khant less of a character and more the cameraman, this creates a detached feeling that slowly chips away at making this experience truly immersive at its core, especially once the supernatural components kick into high gear. 

With that said, the usage of light and color gives this nighttime shoot a distinct look and feel that is refreshing. With lighting being a dying art in films these days, it’s nice to see it used, even within a found footage setting that would generally lean heavily on a lack of light. The red lighting, in particular, amplifies that dark magic quality that starts infecting the forest. And when fire comes into play? Arguably one of the more striking visual moments occurs then in The Last Footage, which also gives the SFX work later on its due.

The Last Footage ultimately adds too many things to its story, from the characters to its black magic plot, that weigh down what could have been a strong outing. This becomes most apparent once the film reaches its climax and final moments, where it’s a genuinely sad ending once considering the circumstances. A tighter storyline and further edits could have gone a long way in making this found footage wholly immersive, accompanied by better developed, more memorable characters that could make those final moments hurt.

Unfortunately, The Last Footage lacks the memorability to stand out in a sea of familiar films in the genre. However, there is just enough here to show Arkar Soe Oo’s potential in what he can do next. 

The Last Footage had its world premiere at the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival.