nick s
Along with Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the Thai independent director Pen-ek Ratanaruang remains the most world acclaimed cinematographer from Thailand. His films might not break the box offices in his native country, but they became very famous in the West. Last Life in the Universe, a joint work of Ratanaruang and genius Australian-Hong Kong cinematographer Christopher Doyle is one of the most well-known Thai art-house films, remarkable for the enigmatic and sublime style.
The plot revolves around bizarre relationships of Japanese protagonist Kenji (Tadanobu Asano) living in Bangkok and Thai call-girl Noi (Sinitta Boonyasak) whose house is in the cityâ(TM)s outskirts. They met at the moment both of them witness the death of Noiâ(TM)s sister Nid (Laila Boonyasak) who met a road accident. Kenji bears a tidy lifestyle and appears to be a bit freaky with his habit for tidiness, reads many books and fantasizes about suicide for the reasons never explained particularly. We also learn that Kenji, as well as his brother used to be linked with Yakuza in his past he is trying to escape. Noi in opposition to him is messy and quite nonchalant, though she is also not happy about her life and tries to learn Japanese in hopes of moving to Osaka. The film is trilingual, as protagonists swap from Thai and Japanese to English when needed. They operate with a very basic vocabulary. The lack of words in the dialogues of Kenji and Nid illustrate the emotional distance in their relationships.
The non-linear plot doesnâ(TM)t lead you anywhere but shows the poignancy of both Kenji and Noi. Encounter with Noi helps Kenji to replace his suicidal thoughts with new reasons to live, though he would never overcome his freaky tidiness. In the ending, we even see this funny scene of him flushing the toilet and revealing his presence in the apartment where Yakuza hitmen came to chase him. Many scenes of the film are shady, but they donâ(TM)t require a certain explanation. At some point, it is Noi lying on the knees of Kenji, then we see her is replaced with Nid. One can interpret it the way he or she feels like to: the boundless symbolism of Last Life in the Universe assumes the viewers can imagine everything by themselves.
The visual signature of Christopher Doyle is something which is hard to fully comprehend in its striking and evocative power. He is the only one capable of cutting such sophisticated shots over and over. His work in this film would later entail something similar in The Limits of Control by Jim Jarmusch. Doyle seems to be really keen on taking part in projects with non-plot structure concentrated on the mood. I cannot remember any film with Doyleâ(TM)s cinematography not striking with the visual brilliance, and he does a great job once again in Last Life in the Universe.
One of the best features of this movie is the usage of this soothing and enchanting music. This is a mesmerizing and enchanting addition to the ambiguous story of heroesâ(TM) poignancy and hopes. The last music theme plays on the background silently in the ending for almost half an hour, and it is tingling in your ears and keeps getting you when the film is over. This is probably very essence of Last Life of the Universe that music encapsulates â" the beguiling allure of sublime themes, visual sophistication produced by Christopher Doyle and oblique meaning of the separate story-lines such as the death of Nid or lizard story.
To sum, Last Life in the Universe is a touching, mesmerizing and extremely beautiful tale and the great example of South-East Asian art-house cinema. In the Western World, we know quite little about the Thai cinematography, and the masterpiece of Pen-ek Ratanaruang is a great start.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
nefasto r
"Last life in the universe" is an interesting and oniric experience. It is about a friendship / love relationship between a suicidal Japanese librarian and a Taiwanese lady. The story, though, is not what matter the most in this film, the atmosphere is. I like it, but the slow pace made it a bit less enjoyable than I would have thought so.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Unique, memorable mashup of crime and romance.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Um filme silencioso e mórbido. Entre tentativas de suicídio e interrupções pelo acaso, um rapaz começa a encontrar o verdadeiro sentido da "felicidade" ao lado de uma garota, mesmo que de uma forma um tanto quanto estranha.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Tadanobu Asano is perfectly cast in Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's surreal meditation on loneliness carries a great deal of power -- even when it slips into a rather silly yakuza subplot.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Last Life In The Universe, is a dream like film that you will unable to stop watching. The lines are smooth and so is the flow of the mellow film. The film starts with the main character, Kenji who keeps trying to commit suicide, but is constantly interrupted. He writes a suicide note of 'this is bliss' (3:38); he believes in the peace of death will bring him bliss as there would be no need to keep up with fast paced life. The film mirrors what Kenji seeks with its calm nature, and succeeds.
Kenji's life is that of work at a library, attempting suicide and his gangster brother - he is not close to any form of bliss. He is alone; the last life in the universe the title speaks of. One of the many books he reads is a children's one on a lonely lizard, who without his family, friends and enemies realizes "it is better being with your enemies than alone" and the lizard motive is repeated throughout the film: the song 'Black Lizard' is played and shot of lizards on walls are repeated. Berkley said that to be is to be perceived ("The objects of sense exist only when they are perceived...no longer than while there is somebody by to perceive them" A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge.) and neither this lizard nor Kenji are able to be perceived, leading to the solution of death as a relaxing alternative.
Yet, Kenji is not truly ready to die. The opportunity presents itself when a man points a gun at him after shooting his brother and Kenji shoots him. Left with no one - not even his brother - he seeks out to be perceived again. No longer trying suicide alone in his apartment, he goes outside to a bridge and meets Noi after the death of her sister. Noi is another last life in the universe, alone after the death of her sister. Noi and Kenji are apparent opposites, visibly acknowledged through the clothes they wear and their apartments. They find comfort in each other and a synthesis is formed between their two opposing lifestyles.
The relationship between Noi and Kenji does not follow the traditional romance metanarrative. Depicted is not lonely people falling in love and finding happiness. The two are together when the question is asked "are you sad?" with the response "everybody is sad" (1:27). However, there is some progress from the beginning of the film shown through the visual elements, although the colour palette remains reserved and without much contrast, more colour is shown towards the end of the film as the haunting blue light of the beginning scene in Kenji's apartment is left.
Kenji's apartment and it's location in the city is left for the more open house and environment of Noi's house. This movement agrees with Kenji who no longer has to deal with the confinement of his small apartment, and the bustling city life he wished to avoid by death. Noi also is removed from another form of confinement when she decides to leave her relationship with her abusive boyfriend Jon and at the end of film moves country. The two characters experience a form of liberation from their previous lives. Kenji does not attempt suicide again (except for after upsetting Noi). Surreal elements are now added to the film with Kenji seeing the house clean itself, and Noi briefly replaced with her schoolgirl uniform dressed sister. He is removed from confinement both physically and mentally and this release is cleverly mirrored with the film's own diversion from the expectations of realism.
One of these surreal scenes is the Noi's messy house magically cleaning itself, helping Kenji on his spring-cleaning project. Kenji puts himself to work cleaning which seems to have a healing effect compared to his previous work as a librarian. His new "job" seems more pleasurable to him, due to the increased use-value, hinting at a Marxist approach to valuing labour for it's use and exchange value. Additionally his work is now provided as a service for another, further elaborating on the importance of Berkley's idea of human existence being reliant on the other.
The film is in opposition to Descartes proposition of "Cogito Ergo Sum" or "I think therefore I am" (Discourse on the Method). Kenji is an intellectual with an apartment filled with knowledge and books, yet he chooses to leave this in order to live with someone else. He becomes content through his friendship/semi-romantic relationship with Noi, with the film ending with him arrested, but smiling due to imagining being reunited with Noi. He may be physically confined, but his mind has been liberated from his internal conflict through a relationship with someone.
Last Life in The Universe is a film that shows the connection between people - and the importance of these connections. Perhaps it is not the most cheerful film - with murder and loneliness and a protagonist that repeatedly attempts suicide. However, the film defies all this and you will be left staring at a black screen, content, thankful for the experience - for the calm bliss.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
Full Review
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