Last Life in the Universe, directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Ride this film out and you shall not be dissapointed. To say this movie is slow would be considered a lie, but I feel it is safe to say that the movie may seem largely very uneventful. At first, the style and pacing of the film is a little daunting as it made me question whether or not I was currently in the mood for a film that was...well...quite lofty. But I'm glad I didn't turn it off because this is one helluva film.
Kenji, handled masterfully by the always enjoyable Tadanobu Asano, is a lonely man who seeks to end his own life. A few unfortunate things happen along the way and by pure happenstance Kenji is introduced to a girl, Noi. It reads like a typical story of loner's life is given new meaning by a chance meeting with a girl, Noi, but this film is playing on a level far above that. The story, which plays out secondary to many other aspects of the film, isn't of as much concern as the characters are and the way in which Kenji and Noi interact with each other. It is an intriguing people film that has an ending that is just magnificently crafted.
I wasn't a big fan of Lost in Translation. I felt it was bogged down heavily by the need for subtlety and quirkness (hey look, isn't Japan just kooky!) and as a result any meaningful interaction between the two visitors was lost. The two films couldn't be more different, but while watching it I couldn't help but think that this is what Lost in Translation should have been. It should have handled two people's dopey-eyed exploration of the unknown as this movie handled it, by not drawing attention to the incompatibilities, to let them play themselves out. Last Life in the Universe doesn't put anything on the frontlines that is a distraction from the relationship between the two people. Even if Kenji is standing in a room all by himself, which happens quite often in the film, he is existing on a level that Sofia Coppola just couldn't conjure up. Then again, Tadanobu Asano is one helluva an actor when it comes to just not saying anything.
Though I will admit that initially I thought the movie was going to draw too much attention to the half irony of the situation at hand, such as Kenji tripping on his suicide rope after a failed attempt and that it'd come off as cutesy, but it lost this feeling very, very early on.
And who can ever complain when Christopher Doyle is behind the camera? The cinematography is a feast for the eyes and the sound design is top notch (I'm all about the things the filmmaker doesn't let us hear that we may expect to hear). The score isn't anything memorable, but it is certainly appropriate for the film and compliments the etheral feeling the film as perfectly.
Last Life in the Universe gets a hearty recommendation for me, but only on the condition that you are a patient viewer. The minutes may coast by, but if you are craving a film that doesn't have chunks of time in which nothing is ever said then this film isn't for you - not just yet.
Last Life in the Universe is a wonderfully sweet, sweet film that evokes a floating feeling in the viewer as the frames just dance across the screen as if they were on clouds.
EDIT: I forgot to mention it has Takashi Miike in it. Seriously now, how can you pass up a movie that Takashi Miike and Christopher Doyle were involved in? They are two of cinema's most staunch auteurs, their mere presence on the same film must have created some warp in the fabric of time.
Ride this film out and you shall not be dissapointed. To say this movie is slow would be considered a lie, but I feel it is safe to say that the movie may seem largely very uneventful. At first, the style and pacing of the film is a little daunting as it made me question whether or not I was currently in the mood for a film that was...well...quite lofty. But I'm glad I didn't turn it off because this is one helluva film.
Kenji, handled masterfully by the always enjoyable Tadanobu Asano, is a lonely man who seeks to end his own life. A few unfortunate things happen along the way and by pure happenstance Kenji is introduced to a girl, Noi. It reads like a typical story of loner's life is given new meaning by a chance meeting with a girl, Noi, but this film is playing on a level far above that. The story, which plays out secondary to many other aspects of the film, isn't of as much concern as the characters are and the way in which Kenji and Noi interact with each other. It is an intriguing people film that has an ending that is just magnificently crafted.
I wasn't a big fan of Lost in Translation. I felt it was bogged down heavily by the need for subtlety and quirkness (hey look, isn't Japan just kooky!) and as a result any meaningful interaction between the two visitors was lost. The two films couldn't be more different, but while watching it I couldn't help but think that this is what Lost in Translation should have been. It should have handled two people's dopey-eyed exploration of the unknown as this movie handled it, by not drawing attention to the incompatibilities, to let them play themselves out. Last Life in the Universe doesn't put anything on the frontlines that is a distraction from the relationship between the two people. Even if Kenji is standing in a room all by himself, which happens quite often in the film, he is existing on a level that Sofia Coppola just couldn't conjure up. Then again, Tadanobu Asano is one helluva an actor when it comes to just not saying anything.
Though I will admit that initially I thought the movie was going to draw too much attention to the half irony of the situation at hand, such as Kenji tripping on his suicide rope after a failed attempt and that it'd come off as cutesy, but it lost this feeling very, very early on.
And who can ever complain when Christopher Doyle is behind the camera? The cinematography is a feast for the eyes and the sound design is top notch (I'm all about the things the filmmaker doesn't let us hear that we may expect to hear). The score isn't anything memorable, but it is certainly appropriate for the film and compliments the etheral feeling the film as perfectly.
Last Life in the Universe gets a hearty recommendation for me, but only on the condition that you are a patient viewer. The minutes may coast by, but if you are craving a film that doesn't have chunks of time in which nothing is ever said then this film isn't for you - not just yet.
Last Life in the Universe is a wonderfully sweet, sweet film that evokes a floating feeling in the viewer as the frames just dance across the screen as if they were on clouds.
EDIT: I forgot to mention it has Takashi Miike in it. Seriously now, how can you pass up a movie that Takashi Miike and Christopher Doyle were involved in? They are two of cinema's most staunch auteurs, their mere presence on the same film must have created some warp in the fabric of time.
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Horror's Not Dead
Latest Movie Review(s): Too lazy to keep this up to date. New reviews every week.
Horror's Not Dead
Latest Movie Review(s): Too lazy to keep this up to date. New reviews every week.
Last edited by OG-; 09-28-05 at 01:55 AM.