Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis and based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O’Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic who has ended his personal and professional life to drink himself to death in Las Vegas. While there, he develops a relationship with a hardened prostitute played by Elisabeth Shue, which forms the center of the film. O’Brien committed suicide two weeks after principal photography of the film began. Leaving Las Vegas was filmed in super 16mm instead of 35 mm film, which is most commonly used for mainstream film; although 16 mm is common for art house films. After limited release in the United States on 1995, Leaving Las Vegas was released nationwide on 1996, receiving strong praise from both critics and audiences. Cage received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Shue was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.
