Last Life in the Universe (2003)
"Ruang rak noi nid mahasan" (original title)

A suicidal, obsessively compulsive Japanese librarian is forced to lie low in Thailand with a pot-smoking woman coping with the recent loss of her sister.

Director:

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Writers:

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Prabda Yoon

Stars:

Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Laila Boonyasak

7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tadanobu Asano	...	Kenji
Sinitta Boonyasak	...	Noi
Laila Boonyasak	...	Nid
Yutaka Matsushige	...	Yukio
Riki Takeuchi	...	Takashi
Takashi Miike	...	Yakuza
Yôji Tanaka	...	Yakuza (as Yohji Tanaka)
Sakichi Satô	...	Yakuza
Thiti Rhumorn	...	Jon
Junko Nakazawa	...	Librarian
Akiko Anraku	...	Japanese Housewife
Nortioshi Urano	...	Salaryman
Phimchanok Nala Dube	...	Girl in Jon's Apartment
Ampon Rattanawong	...	Jon's Underling
Jakrarin Sanitti	...	Jon's Underling

Storyline

A mysterious, obsessive-compulsive, suicidal Japanese man living in Bangkok, Thailand, is thrown together with a Thai woman through a tragic chain of events. The woman is everything he is not. He is a neat freak who keeps his dishes washed and his books neatly stacked and categorized. She dresses like a slob, smokes pot and never picks anything up. It's a match that somehow works, though. Slowly and entertainingly, more is revealed about the Japanese man and why he's suicidal and living in Bangkok.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese | librarian | thai | book | death | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexual content, language and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Artificial Eye [uk] official site

Country:

Thailand Japan

Language:

Thai Japanese English

Release Date:

8 August 2003 (Thailand)

Also Known As:

Last Life in the Universe

Filming Locations:

Bangkok International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,833 (USA) (6 August 2004)

Gross:

$31,747 (USA) (27 August 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bohemian Films, Cinemasia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was Thailand's official submission for the Oscar in 2003.

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Connections

References Ichi the Killer (2001)

User Reviews

Interesting Beauty...

It's really too bad that 6ixtynin9 is not available on DVD. It's a really good precursor to Last Life, and the second film by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. I think Last Life is without a doubt, the most beautiful Asian film I've seen in the last ten years. It's such a simple, sad story, but Pen-Ek can't let you cry for too long, he must throw in the obligatory 7 consecutive minutes of comedy that is so original. Seriously, it's really impressive to see a film that has three different languages spoken in it. The only way the two leads can relate is through broken english. It's quite amusing at times. It kind of makes me wonder what the script looks like. See this if you can, you can get it on DVD for $10.50 U.S. shipping included, worldwide, from ethaicd.com. You really can't go wrong.