DESCRIPTION

ETHAN HAWKE takes us on an on the road discovery of GREGORY CORSO - the most colorful of the inner circle of THE BEATS, who along with KEROUAC, GINSBERG and BURROUGHS changed world culture and social history.

Corso, abandoned as an infant by his Italian mother, grew up in New York foster homes, and later alone on the streets of little Italy. Thrown in Clinton State Prison for petty theft at the age of 17, he studied, began writing, and ended up at Harvard. He went on to become one of the inner circle of “The Beats”, a small group of writers who changed the course of American society.

After the death of Allen Ginsberg, Corso goes “On the Road”, as “The Last Beat” to rediscover his creative muse. From Paris to Venice, Rome and Greece, Corso retraces the early days of “Beats.” In high humor he dramatizes how “The Beats” emerged in Europe, and paved the way for youth culture, the sexual revolution and even hip-hop. Corso interrupts his tour to revisit his days at Clinton State Prison and inspire young inmates to educate themselves… Returning to Italy, Corso muses on his lost mother, who he believes is dead and buried in Italy.

In a stunning discovery, the filmmakers find Corso’s mother alive and living in Trenton, N.J, not dead in Italy. Healed by meeting his mother, his true muse, Corso finishes his road trip in Greece. A revitalized Corso returns to Greenwich Village, but discovers he is dying. He faces his own mortality with pluck and humor, comforted by Ethan Hawke, Patti Smith and his newfound mother, Michelina.