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Last Life in the Universe More at IMDbPro »Ruang rak noi nid mahasan (original title)

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43 reviews in total

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56 out of 61 people found the following review useful:
A South East Asian Beauty!!, 20 December 2004

Author: crosbie_max (crosbie_max@yahoo.co.uk) from London, England

This the first film I've seen by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and without a doubt its one of the most accomplished and satisfying I've seen all year.

Two polar opposite characters - a quiet and meticulous Japanese librarian with a shady past and designs on ending his life (Asano Tadanobu) and a feisty, straight-talking thai female escort (Sinitta Boonyasak) - have one thing in common and not much else it seems. They are both utterly lonely, albeit for different reasons - she is recently bereaved of her sister, he for a reason never fully disclosed is distanced from the world, an introverted outsider with no good reason to go on. Thrown together by a sequence of events (chance or fate?) they take solace from each others presence. From this, lets face it, not original germ grows an enchanting, touching and idiosyncratic movie.One that's not concerned with characterisation, an intricate plot or histrionic's but with how two troubled, contradictory people growcloser and in the process rediscover a reason for being, for going on in the universe. Due to the language barrier (they flit from talking Thai, Japanese and English to understand one another) they may not have meaningful discourse, but here the meaning is hidden behind the formalities, the pedestrian, the everyday.

I'm not going to launch into an extended essay or spew to many superlatives but believe me when I say its a strange delight. Assured, amusing and touching, this multi-lingual film is replete with a dry wit, a surreal element that leaves a lot to interpretation and a deft ability to prick the emotions. There are laudable performances from the two central characters, and a third from Christopher Doyle's shifting oblique camera-work and composition. And despite its clear East Asian cinematic influences (in tone it reminds me of Kitano's Dolls - the lingering pace and melancholy signature theme music– and it features a yakuza based subplot) Last Life evokes modern day Thailand in all its chaotic ramshackle splendour brilliantly.

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47 out of 50 people found the following review useful:
I do like a suicidal man with an ordered wardrobe., 5 June 2006

Author: Two_Pieces_of_Christina from United Kingdom

Kenji (Tadanobu Asano) is a depressed, introverted Japanese man living in Bangkok with suicidal fantasies. He is not so simple as his quiet demeanour hopes to portray. His past is complicated and therefore he controls his present state with an OCD-repressed lifestyle. His clothes are colour co-ordinated, his socks ironed and folded, and his books are stacked so neatly there's an urge to reach into the TV and throw them around the room just to set the sterile organisation off-kilter.

The dream-like unreality of Kenji is punctuated by his meeting of Nid (Laila Boonyasak) and her subsequent departure. Her sister Noi (played by Nid's real-life sister, Sinitta Boonyasak) is suddenly in his life, and her home serves as an escape for a disturbing event that happens in Kenji's apartment. Their personalities are as contradictory as they are complimentary - she is as messy as he is organised, as free as he is controlled. He brings her life into order and she brings his into disarray.

The developing romance between the two is difficult to categorise. Kenji imagines on occasion that Noi has become Nid; it's almost as if Noi is the next best thing and he doesn't appreciate her for herself. This is however usurped by the ending, of which I won't give away. That has to be down to individual interpretation and perhaps can't be seen definitively anyway.

Director and co-writer Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's portrayal of a Japanese man and Thai woman's blossoming relationship is illustrated with their stilted dialogue - it veers from Thai, to Japanese, to halting English. Their mis-understandings of language are juxtaposed with their understandings of each other. There is nothing so clear as body language and this film relies heavily on the physicality of the two leads, both of whom give near-flawless performances. Asano in particular cannot be helped being taken to the viewers' heart; it's obvious here why he has such a high status in Japan. Boonyasak is not so sympathetic, but she is perhaps not meant to be, and she serves her purpose well.

There's some brilliant comic moments peppered throughout, but the poignant moments counter-balance these well. The ending gives some insight into Kenji's past but must be viewed more than once to appreciate. This is not a simple or straight-forward film, but nor is it complicated or pretentious.

Last Life in the Universe is difficult to sum up without mentioning its imagery, of which you have to see for yourself to appreciate, or describing it with the words 'beautiful' and 'subtle' - I almost managed it.

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36 out of 42 people found the following review useful:
Best Meet "Cute"/Opposites Attract Film in Years, 11 August 2004
Author: noralee from Queens, NY

"Last Life in the Universe (Ruang rak noi nid mahasan)" is a testimonial to opening up films to new voices around the world, as Thai director/co-writer Pen-Ek Ratanaruang completely re-invents the worn-out Hollywood genre of opposites meeting cute and attracting (viz. "Laws of Attraction" or "Forces of Nature") that even the French could barely resuscitate in "Jet Lag (Décalage horaire)."

If I hadn't read a promotional flyer after the movie identifying the star Tadanobu Asano as also having been in "Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman" I wouldn't have realized that the charismatic ronin there was the still, isolated, seriously depressed obsessive-compulsive here, but now I see why he's a big star in Japan and I will catch up on his films (oh, he's married to a pop star, directing her music videos, and in his own rock band, too, but I digress, sigh).

"Kenji" meets up with "Noi" a live wire, profane wreck of a Thai escort in tragic-comic circumstances brought on by their siblings that insert startling, balletic violence into the dream-like cinematography by Australian Christopher Doyle, reinforced by the mesmerizing music of Hualongpong Riddim.

But it took me as a monolingual American awhile to figure out that their communication difficulties were based on their limited language commonality as I couldn't tell when a character was speaking in Thai or Japanese (perhaps the annoying white-on-white subtitles could have included some coded indicators) until they ended up struggling in pidgin English. I'm sure I missed many other cultural clues (though I did pick up the telltale yakuza back tattoos that complicate their odd idyll outside Bangkok).

They contradict each other's expectations- he's allergic to sushi, she's surrounded in Western accoutrements; he's mysteriously left Japan, she's determined to emigrate there, and so on.

Slapsticky comedy and a sweet children's book continually lull us to the dangers they trip over. The lovely magic realism leaves the resolution up to interpretation, but I don't think I've ever seen such a moving courtship over the use of an ashtray or as sexy a hopeful line as "Tomorrow we'll do the laundry."

This has to be the offbeat romance of the year.

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36 out of 45 people found the following review useful:
Wow..., 24 August 2003

Author: Gigabyte_1907 from Bangkok

The last 3 or 4 movies that I've seen lately made me fall asleep in the over air-conditioned, too comfortable theatres in Bangkok, which sometimes provide a blanket and pillow in a lazy-boy chair in the high-class places (at a surprisingly low price). But last night, I didn't even blink my eyes once while watching this wonderful movie. I was impressed... It was beautiful from the very start until the end.

This movie was magic... It didn't pretend to be perfect, and it's not, but it works so much on your feelings that you go out from it with mixed feelings. The jokes are very funny (for example the morning after the green papaya salad), the dramas are tear jerking, and you have to watch every details because there's a lot to watch. Believe me, it won't get you bored or sleepy, it's pure pleasure from the start until the end, no boring parts promise!

I hope that this movie will get more attention, I do recommend it to all. It's not an easy of family movie, some rough scenes, but go see it... I will go see it again, and I will buy the official DVD when it's available, not the pirated copy found in some markets... 4/5...

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22 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Just hang with this one, 7 August 2003

Author: wisekwai from Bangkok

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Kenji, a young Japanese living in Bangkok, is no ordinary man. He's a neat freak, whose obsessive compulsive traits are revealed in his book-filled apartment, from the colour-coordinated stacks of socks in his closet to the neat row of clean plates drying by the spotless kitchen sink.

His big kick though, is suicide, which is how you first meet him, hanging by his neck from a noose. It's only a possible reality, as is most of what happens in this darkly surreal romantic comedy.

Kenji comes close to offing himself in several various ways, but is always interrupted by a noisy buzzer, bell or other alarm. He has an even darker side that is slowly revealed in a humourously warm, low-key manner.

And as more is revealed, a small cast of progressively sleazier characters are paraded by for the audience's enjoyment. There's a Thai gangster ex-boyfriend who's overwhelming, but a trio of yakuza (think Three Stooges) steals the show.

Kenji's obsessive compulsive traits are put to productive use as a librarian at the Japan Cultural Centre. It's there where a uniformed schoolgirl captures his attention. But she vanishes, almost before his very eyes.

She is seen later, at the culmination of a chain of events that brings Kenji together with the girl's older sister Noi. Other synopsis will reveal how, but I feel it's best you don't know much about this film before you watch it.

Anyway, the action is brief and tragic - as is all the action in this film. There's a little bit of gunplay - sudden and violent, yet so subtle, you wonder if youÕre dreaming.

Driving a beat-up old white Volkswagen Beetle convertible (a car that is just as much a character as the actors), the pair drive out to Noi's rundown seaside home. There, Kenji sees that Noi is everything that he isn't. There are mounds of dirty dishes everywhere. Books and magazines are strewn all over. The goldfish is floating dead, upside down in the aquarium. She's a slob, too, in contrast to Kenji's button-down appearance. She's also a pothead.

The mess is captured with moody realism by Hero cinematographer Christopher Doyle, in much the same manner he brought a smouldering feel to Wong Kar-waiÕs In the Mood for Love. Even the flotsam and jetsam washing up at the beach evokes some emotions.

Just as Kenji is out of the ordinary, so is the film. For a Thai film, there's hardly any Thai spoken. Most of the dialogue is in Japanese, and Kenji and Koi converse in English (as well as some Japanese as, by a mind-boggling twist of coincidence, she is moving to Japan).

And though it has a high-profile marketing campaign in Thailand, featuring the image of a man hanging in a noose, as well as the tail end of a VW Bug in some theatre lobbies, this film is anything but slick - a welcome break from this summer's no-brainer franchise flicks.

The timeline jumps around at various points causing some confusion, but this is a good thing, for viewers who stick with it.

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19 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
The healing power of love, 4 April 2005

Author: Howard Schumann from Vancouver, B.C.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

In the offbeat comedy/drama Last Life in the Universe by Pen-Ek Ratananaruang, a strange suicidal Japanese librarian develops a relationship with a young Thai woman who has just experienced a personal tragedy. Neither can speak the other's language but both communicate as best they can in broken English, their language barrier a metaphor for the cultural and emotional distance between them. Beautifully photographed by Hong-Kong-based cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Last Life is a slow-paced, meditative film about loss and loneliness and the power of love to heal. The film, though dark in places, has a playfully surreal touch that leaves considerable doubt as to whether events take place in real life or in the mind of the characters.

Alienated from his surroundings, Kenji, brilliantly portrayed by Tadanobu Asano (Zatoichi, Ichi The Killer), spends his time between his job at the Japanese Cultural Center and his apartment where he lives with his brother, a Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) member. He is compulsive about order and cleanliness and his house is neatly arranged with books and clothes systematically piled and labeled. Kenji is fascinated with suicide, not because of money problems, a failed relationship, or an unsatisfying job, but simply because he thinks dying would be very relaxing. "Just close your eyes", he muses, "and go to sleep then wake up in another life". His suicide note says simply, "this is bliss". Whenever he starts to follow through, however, he is interrupted at a crucial moment by a telephone, doorbell, or other intrusion.

When another gang member kills his brother in his apartment and Kenji kills the gunman in self-defense, he matter-of-factly leaves his apartment and begins to wander the streets of Bangkok, ending up poised on the railing of a bridge. As he is about to jump, he is distracted by the sight of Nid (Laila Boonyasaki), a Thai bar girl that he works with at the library, being struck down by a hit and run driver right in front of him and her sister Noi (Sinitta Boonyasaki). Seeking to escape from his bullet-ridden apartment that has defied his compulsion for order, Kenji asks to go with Noi to her country home, To his dismay, he finds her house disheveled and filthy with dishes scattered on the sofa, floors, everywhere but the kitchen sink.

The two make attempts to get to know each other but, because of the language barriers, there are long pauses between questions and answers. What little conversation there is takes place with a background drone of a Japanese language tape that, along with the softly beautiful music of Hua-Lampong Riddim, creates a soothing dreamlike state. As the relationship between Kenji and Noi becomes warmer, Doyle deepens the colors in the house and Pen-Ek stimulates our senses by showing the house cleaning itself as books fly onto shelves and papers flutter through the air to their resting place. When Noi tells him that she is planning to move to Osaka the following week, Kenji asks with deadpan humor to remain at her house because his apartment smells bad as a result of having two dead bodies inside.

Their relationship is complicated by angry phone calls from her boyfriend/pimp and in one sequence, Kenji, showing a departure from his usual inertness, comes to her rescue when he physically assaults her. Meanwhile, we learn that he is being pursued by Yakuzas himself (there are hints that Kenji is hiding in Bangkok to escape his own Yakuza past) and the two unlikely friends must cling to each other more desperately out of fear and isolation. Last Life in the Universe, while punctuated with Kitano-like outbursts of violence, has an atmosphere of spiritual calm that works to reduce the significance of things and allows us simply to be with each moment and observe the flow. Though the ambiguous ending leaves room for interpretation about the durability of their connection, the characters come a long way from thoughts of death to dealing with plans for living. With its mixture of black comedy and romantic drama, Last Life in the Universe leaves us with a quiet celebration of the unpredictable wonder of life.

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24 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
Pen-Ek has done it again!, 19 October 2003

Author: Sarun from Bangkok, Thailand

And I thought Mon-Rak Transistor was a masterpiece...

Last life in the Universe, or "Reung Rak Noi Nid Mahasarl", is problaby one of the best films made by one of the best Thai directors, Mr. Pen-Ek Rattanareung. I'll not waste time talking about this movie's sypnosis, but I'll just give some patricular reasons why this is a must-see Thai movie. First of all, this movie barely has a plot. It's all about emotions. Every elements you see in this film is... alive. They all have reasons for their existance. While a camera stays still for most of the time, lets you feel the very feeling of certain scene. Thanks, Chris. Secondly, the sotry is a love story, which doesn't seem so ordinary, but very ordinary itself. It's just natural. That's the way people who don't know each other talk, and even in a different language. You simply beleive they are who they are, there was no acting no pretending. It was just soooo natural. Last, because the subject matter is very precise, and sometimes hard to understand, you simply don't have to understand it. I mean, some parts of movie are very confusing, just ignore it. Try to absorb the moods and feelings this movie has to offer... You'll just feel really good after walking out of the theater. No other Thai movies are like this one. Pen-Ek himslef said that in previous movies, it seemed to him that he tried to tell everything too much, too straight. This film certainly doesn't do that, and it certainly is his masterpiece for me.

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21 out of 26 people found the following review useful:
Pen-Ek has done it again!, 19 October 2003

Author: Sarun from Bangkok, Thailand

And I thought Mon-Rak Transistor was a masterpiece...

Last life in the Universe, or "Reung Rak Noi Nid Mahasarl", is problaby one of the best films made by one of the best Thai directors, Mr. Pen-Ek Rattanareung. I'll not waste time talking about this movie's sypnosis, but I'll just give some patricular reasons why this is a must-see Thai movie. First of all, this movie barely has a plot. It's all about emotions. Every elements you see in this film is... alive. They all have reasons for their existance. While a camera stays still for most of the time, lets you feel the very feeling of certain scene. Thanks, Chris. Secondly, the sotry is a love story, which doesn't seem so ordinary, but very ordinary itself. It's just natural. That's the way people who don't know each other talk, and even in a different language. You simply beleive they are who they are, there was no acting no pretending. It was just soooo natural. Last, because the subject matter is very precise, and sometimes hard to understand, you simply don't have to understand it. I mean, some parts of movie are very confusing, just ignore it. Try to absorb the moods and feelings this movie has to offer... You'll just feel really good after walking out of the theater. No other Thai movies are like this one. Pen-Ek himslef said that in previous movies, it seemed to him that he tried to tell everything too much, too straight. This film certainly doesn't do that, and it certainly is his masterpiece for me.

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22 out of 29 people found the following review useful:
Masterpiece, 21 February 2005

Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN

I've seen the plot before, at least in some fashion. A man and a woman meet under tragic (or tragicomic) circumstances. They are complete opposites, but begin an unconventional, semi-romantic relationship. It took me the whole movie to think of where I had seen it, but I did finally come up with a title (Monster's Ball). So I've seen the plot before. It's been done before. But it hasn't been done too often, and I tend to like stories like this. Besides, it's all in the way it's done, and, man, is this done right. Tadanobu Asano, best known as the masochistic villain Kakihara of Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer, plays a withdrawn Japanese man living for unspecified reasons in Thailand. He works in a library and the walls of his meticulously organized apartment are lined with stacks of books. Through a couple of events, which are too good to spoil, he meets with polar opposite Sinitta Boonyasak, a Thai girl who works dressed up as a Japanese schoolgirl, and is probably something of a prostitute. Asano moves in with the girl and there is a connection (in that order). This is a subtle film that flows like a gentle brook. Christopher Doyle, easily the best cinematographer working today, lends his impeccable style to the picture (director Ratanaruang says many kind words about him in a 20 minute interview on the DVD), and the music, by Hualongpong Riddim, is simply amazing. Takashi Miike himself appears late in the film in an amusing role, and he's given the film's best line. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's direction is truly impressive, and his attention to detail is particularly worth praising. It's a wonderful film, one that will live with me a long time.

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14 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
A masterpiece, 18 September 2004

Author: Nicolas from Berkeley, CA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

(Only very minor spoilers in these comments.)

First, as a disclaimer, I have to point out that I am a self-proclaimed white trash boy who usually isn't too much into ''cerebral'' movies. Memento did not do anything for me, for instance, and I sometimes have trouble with the relatively slow pace that can be found in some Asian movies.

Well, Last Life in the Universe is slow, the narrative is non-linear, and there is not much dialogue. Yet, I loved every minute of it. I guess the best analogy I can come up with is that it is as if Lost in Translation had met Pulp Fiction. However, despite the fact I loved both of these movies, it does not do Last Life in the Universe justice. This movie is much better than that.

It is touching, entertaining, and even hilarious at times. Sure, the complete absence of linearity will turn some people off (e.g., the introductory credits start rolling over one hour into the movie), and I expect a few users will give it a 1. But, if you can hold on, and wait until the director has decided to give you all the pieces of the puzzle, you won't be disappointed. The ending is one of the best that I have seen in quite a while. By the way, the non-linearity completely makes sense by the end of the movie; presenting it as a set of different stories sheds a light on the many different facets of the personalities of the main characters, thereby giving them even more depth, and is probably the best way of unravelling the plot.

As an added bonus, the acting is stellar. Most of the movie is silent because of the language barrier between the two main protagonists, and it's refreshing to see some actors that can act (and boy, can they!) without having to speak. Besides, the lead actress is gorgeous.

A very serious contender for the best movie I have seen this year, and I have seen many more than I am willing to admit.

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