Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Today's movie is Leaving Las Vegas from 1995

Ben Sanderson (Cage) is a Hollywood screenwriter whose alcoholism costs him his job, family, and friends. With nothing left, he goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. As he drives drunkenly down the Las Vegas Strip, he almost hits a woman in the cross walk, Sera (Shue), who chastises him. Ben checks into a sleazy motel called The Whole Year Inn. As he looks at this the wording changes to "The Hole You're In." Meanwhile, Sera is a prostitute for an abusive pimp, Yuri Butso (Julian Sands), a Latvian immigrant. Polish mobsters are after Yuri, so he breaks his relationship with Sera in fear that the Poles may hurt her, and Yuri is murdered (off-screen) shortly afterwards.

On his second day in Las Vegas, Ben meets Sera, introduces himself and offers $500 to go to his room for an hour. Sera agrees to go to his room, but Ben does not want sex. Instead, they talk and create an odd relationship. Their relationship is doomed; Sera has to promise Ben she will never ask him to stop drinking, and Ben is not allowed to criticize Sera's occupation. At first the two are stable, as Ben is "totally at ease with this (Sera's prostitution)." However, each becomes frustrated with the other's behaviour. Sera attempts to get Ben to eat but Ben stumbles for more alcohol. Sera begs him to see a doctor. Furious, Ben brings another prostitute (Mariska Hargitay) to Sera's house. Sera returns home and throws Ben out. Shortly afterwards, she is raped and beaten by three college students, and the injuries make her occupation obvious. After being evicted, Sera receives a call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. She visits Ben and they have sex. They fall asleep, and when Ben wakes up, he looks across at Sera, who is lying on top of him, and dies while holding her as she sleeps. His last word is "wow". In the final scene Sera says that she accepted Ben for who he was, liked his drama and that she loved him.