Life, and especially nature, is associated with cycles. Biota is constantly going through a cycle of birth, procreation, and death. Earth is constantly experiencing mass extinctions, with five already in its history. Even basic cycles like photosynthesis exist and allow plants to create the energy they need. Perhaps the best-known cycle to much of the public, however, is the annual cycle of seasons. It is through this cycle, and a plenitude more in The Last Winter, that director Larry Fessenden seeks to end the world in an apocalyptic-horror film.
Just by looking at the diction of the title, one can sense an evil omen. "Winter" is often categorized as the last season of the cycle since it begins in December, the last month of the year. It is
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Just as the human race has its own history of actions and repercussions, Pollack creates a series of consequences as results of his actions. For example, by ignoring the warnings of Hoffman and continuing the expedition for oil in the Arctic, Pollack endangers the team through continuous exposure of the unseen threat that has already killed a member (later implied to be a gas). This danger is exacerbated as Pollack does not wish to do anything about the problem until few members are left sane. It is only when the group is in dire need of medical attention that Pollack reluctantly concedes that he must look for help. However, his conduct causes even more problems. By using the limited fuel left in the snowmobiles to go to the farther KIK outpost over the village of natives, Pollack burns through all of the gas only to discover an abandoned site. Because of Pollack's asininity, he and Hoffman are forced to trudge through the deep snow for multiple miles in order to approach the village. Even the trek devolves into chaos as Pollack and Hoffman are affected by the gas, ultimately revealing Abby to be the sole survivor of this terrible ordeal. A parallel can be drawn to humanity's nature of pollution. Through the growth of