Last Life in the Universe (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:36
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.4/10
Theatrical Release:Aug 6, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: A magic-realist romance about the culture bridges we build - sometimes wish we could jump off of Last Life in the Universe brings together three of the most exciting talents in current world... A magic-realist romance about the culture bridges we build - sometimes wish we could jump off of Last Life in the Universe brings together three of the most exciting talents in current world cinema: director Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Japanese superstar Asano Tadanobu, and Hong Kong-based cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Under the guidance of this much-celebrated triumvirate, refugee elements of Japanese yakuza films, an unpredictable succession of lush and intoxicating images, and a host of eccentric narrative tics from the cutting edge of Thai cinema converge to tell the story of the mysterious Kenji, a lonely, obsessive-compulsive Japanese librarian's assistant and occasional suicide hobbyist quietly living - and hoping to die - in Bangkok. Hiding from an unknown past, the Mishima-identified and moppishly-coiffed Kenji seems determined on a premature rendezvous with oblivion: when first we meet him, he's already swinging by the neck from a makeshift noose. (Or is he?) If only Nid, the beautiful Thai woman Kenji spies between the shelves one day, hadn't managed to die first. And if only Nid's acid-tongued sister, Noi - who inadvertently begins seducing the suicidal loner back into the chaos of life - weren't leaving for Osaka on the Monday morning plane... -- © Palm Pictures [More]
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Laila Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Laila Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka, Takeuchi Riki
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Screenwriter: Prabda Yoon, Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Producer: Nonzee Nimibutr, Duangkamol Limcharoen
Composer: Small Room, Hualampong Riddim
Studio: Palm Pictures
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Reviews for Last Life in the Universe
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Un film dont les élans singuliers mènent à la fascination. Full Review |
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One fascinating -- if not wholly accessible -- movie. Full Review |
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Asano é sempre um ator interessante, mas a montagem é auto-indulgente e o roteiro, pretensioso.
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Macabre film about a suicidal librarian. Full Review |
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A film that demands second and even third viewings in order to absorb all of its nuances. Full Review |
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This trip-hoppy tone poem left me feeling like I'd never seen a movie before. Full Review |
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... a dreamy study in stillness broken by suicide fantasies, flashbacks, and the hired killers, but even the violence has a meditative even melancholy quality to it... Full Review |
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It's an offbeat romance that defies easy labeling, recommendable as a film buff's pleasure and a semi-audacious art-house curio. Full Review |
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[Reflects] the growing interpenetration of many individual national cinemas into a cultural conglomerate that reflects the irresistible tide of cinematic globalization. Full Review |
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The film has a precise, slow pace that allows us to get to know these quiet, quirky characters, and an imaginatively experimental approach to their thoughts and dreams. Full Review |
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An absorbing series of intricately planned shots that play like installation art at a modern museum. Full Review |
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Constantly surprising. Full Review |
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There is some lovely filmmaking here, and nice surprises. Full Review |
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This arthouse drama could have used less concept and more focused storytelling. Full Review |
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The Thai locales, the stars and Doyle's expressive cinematography add up to a disarmingly seductive yet always precarious film experience. Full Review |
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One of the year's most original and compelling releases. Full Review |
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a deeply intriguing and contemplative two-person character study that offers many small rewards along the way Full Review |
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