A brilliantly atmospheric, sweetly nutty film.
Last Life in the Universe (2004)
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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
While Last Life boasts two excellent performances -- Asano and Sinitta -- the real stars are the set and Doyle's cinematography.
The closest thing to entering a dream state at the movies right now is watching Last Life in the Universe.
Co-written by the popular Thai novelist Prabda Yoon, Ratanaruang's fluid screenplay belies a knotty complexity that also lingers just below the smooth surface.
The mildly surreal drama doesn't always make sense, but it sure does look great.
Directed by the talented Pen-ek Ratanaruang in a deadpan style that would be approved by Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki, the master of deadpan.
Allusive, and enigmatic, this Thai film is a wistful mood piece whose contemplative tone is periodically punctured with eruptions of violence.
Moody, atmospheric, and bewitching, like other first-rate examples of modern Thai cinema.
A sort of magic-realist Thai version of Lost in Translation, Last Life in the Universe is of the unlikely romance school of comedy, at once despairingly glib and buoyantly dark.
A very understated romantic comedy, basically what "Lost in Translation" tried to be, minus the American chauvinism and Sofia Coppola's grade school-level writing skills.
Cheeky and elusive, Last Life in the Universe inhabits a high-lonesome world unto itself, a bright daydream that dissipates in the aching gap of a missed connection.
It's an unsuccessful experiment in combining genres that are as irreconcilable as oil and water.
Pen-ek Ratanaruang may not become a household name in the US any time soon but if you are serious about movies his latest is worth the look.
an exquisite, dreamy romance that drifts among different time periods, locations and maybe even life and death itself
It may sound like a conventional tale, but this is full of magical surprises that occasionally ruffle its otherwise serene surface.
Last Life in the Universe isn’t so much weightless as it is liable to inspire weightlessness.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 58% 58% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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