Last Life in the Universe, The / Ruang Rak noi nid Mahasan

Director: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Year: 2003
Country: Thailand/ Japan
Cast: Tadanobu Asano (as Kenji), Sinitta Boonyasak (as Noi)
Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)

We meet some people in our lives who enrich our lives. Touch our souls. Help us to come out of misery, give a new meaning to life. Show us the path, directly or indirectly and then quietly walk away.

The Last Life in the Universe reminds me of two great movies I've had the privilege to watch. One is Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation and the other is Scorsese's Taxi Driver. The Thai girl, Noi, reminded me of Scarlette Johansson in Lost in Translation and the guy, Kenji, a Japanese guy reminded me of Travis Bickle. Both alienated from this world, live in their own respective worlds. Noi loose her sister in an accident due to her own mistake.Kenji is suicidal in nature. "This is bliss", he writes in his suicide note. Upon trying to kill himself many times, he meets Noi on the street of Bangkok. She watches her sister lie on the street, lifeless. He consoles him, as any passerby would. Visits her home and stays there. All this is shot with great leisure. At a point I thought, why am I watching this? Leisurely speed should be used (by a filmmaker)when he has (and he can, of course) something to say that can't be described in words. Here, what we see is he roaming around in the house, washing dishes and all. But it's all worth. The friendship between the two is not instant but is effortless and completely believable. In one of the scenes, when they are together, he asks her whether she is sad. She simply replies, "who isn't?" And then smiles. This incident speaks volumes about the emotional numbness. Through such moments the director succeeds to develop a strange, life affirming bond between the two. In it's own way, this film is a harsh comment on humans losing sensitivity (in the first half only).

Then there is a plot. And, there, it stays behind the afore mentioned two films. The direction, although a little flawed, is smooth and confident. The film chronicles the sorrows of urban, suave people trapped in mundane and sometimes meaningless lives and does exceedingly well. Most importantly The Last Life in the Universe creates two characters we come to care for. That is, above all, it's biggest strength.