Derek Jarman's final film is a remarkable and poignant work of art, the product of a man on the very edge of death. Dying from AIDS and losing his sight because of a detached retina, Jarman nevertheless vowed to make one last film. As a result, there are no images as such in "Blue" -- the only visual is a blank and unchanging blue field, accompanied by voices, music, and sound effects. With no ability to make visual references anymore, Jarman packed everything he had into the soundtrack, creating a dense and stunningly effective work. The voiceover describes, in devastating monologues, the deterioration of the body from disease and the effects of the various medications. Jarman also ruminates on the nature of vision, the roles of politics and anti-homosexual sentiment in reactions to AIDS, mortality, friendship, and love. This is the ultimate encapsulation of the kind of themes he tackled throughout his challenging career, blending a gay awareness with more universal themes of political strife and the power of love. The music is performed by a cadre of Jarman's industrial music acquaintances, including Simon Fisher Turner and Coil, and is appropriately haunting and beautiful. For a film made on the verge of death, which is essentially about death, it's still a remarkably complicated work -- rather than simply wallow in morbid obsessions, Jarman explores the complexities of mortality while celebrating life itself. Truly a remarkable film. The Artificial Eye DVD has an added bonus in the nearly hour-long "Glitterbug," a posthumously finished film created from the last experimental footage and recordings Jarman made before his death.