Last Life in the Universe
Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Screenplay by Prabda Yoon, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Cinematography by Chris Doyle
With Asano Tadanobu, Sinitta Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka
Thailand, 2003, 112 minutes
In Thai, Japanese, English; English subtitles
Last Life in the Universe will be shown at the New York's Museum of Modern Art tomorrow afternoon as part of the series In Focus; Fortissimo Films.
This beautifully photographed film—one of several in this exhibition photographed by Doyle— illustrates Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s profound understanding of the aimless spirit and cautious dreams of Asia’s youth. The fortunes of Kenji, a suicide-obsessed Japanese man living in Bangkok, take a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills a Yakuza gang member. That same night, Noi, a Thai barmaid in the burnt- out beach town of Pattaya, accidentally kills her sister. Thrown together by this common twist of fate, Kenji and Noi find their lives inextricably linked as they hide out together, hoping to find love and redemption. Courtesy Palm Pictures.
