Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageLast Life in the Universe (2003)
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Weltschmerz never seemed more dynamic than it does in Pen-ek's sly and seductive movie about an ex-yakuza working as a librarian in the Japanese Cultural Centre in Bangkok. Obsessive, fastidiously ordered and allergic to fish, Kenji (Asano) constantly rehearses his own suicide - he identifies with the lizard in a children's story which finds itself the last lizard on earth - until the day he witnesses a girl killed in a traffic accident during a row with her sister Noi (Sinitta). Next day he has urgent reasons to get out of town (there are two bodies in his apartment: his brother and the hitman sent to get him) and he hitches a ride with the grief-stricken Noi to her tumbledown house near Pattaya. In the few days before her departure to work as a bar girl in Osaka, he cleans up her place, inherits her car and reaches out to her to form an unexpected human bond. Hardly anything happens, but the film grips like a thriller; tone and pace, atmosphere and imagery tell voluminous stories of their own. It has Doyle's best camerawork since Happy Together and a snazzy cameo from Miike in shades and a snakeskin suit.Author: TR
Cast & crew
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Producer: Nonzee Nimibutr, Duangkamol Limcharoen, Wouter Barendrecht, Hiromi Aihara
Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Laila Boonyasak, Yutaka Matsushige, Riki Takeuchi, Takashi Miike, Thiti Phum-orn full cast
Rated: 15
Duration: 92 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'
Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now