An offbeat genre hybrid, the magical and mad LAST LIFE is a wistful mood piece about loneliness, love, and yakuza. Japanese librarian Kenji (Asano of ZATOICHI, ICHI THE KILLER, etc) feels isolated in Bangkok. Following the murder of his brother he’s about to commit suicide. Enter brash and beautiful hostess Noi whose own sister has just died and who is planning a move to Japan. Holed up together in Kenji’s flat, a linguistically-challenged relationship develops although each harbours deadly secrets. Beautiful yet quirky cinematography by master DP Christopher Doyle complements the humour-laced romance shadowed by violence. Look out for an inspired cameo from genre supremo Takeshi Miike.
Last Life in the Universe
Directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang