Pamela Anderson shines in The Last Showgirl as Shelly, a veteran of the topless show ballet Le Razzle Dazzle in Las Vegas, which is closing after 38 years. The world she explores – from glitter and feathers to worn-out wings – feels like an echo from another time, and Anderson evokes it with nothing more than her voice, posture and gaze. Director Gia Coppola stays close to her character, leaving the disappearing revue invisible at first, like a dream or a mirage.  

The film itself does not have the narrative power of The Wrestler or The Substance, but The Last Showgirl comes alive in its vulnerable moments: a mother who lost her daughter to the spotlight, a woman who refuses to step down. Anderson’s comeback is not triumphant, but fragile and convincing.