What it’s about
Solemn Japanese ex-pat Kenji (Asano) works as a librarian in Bangkok but is plagued by morbid, suicidal impulses. One night, his brother Yukio shows up with a yakuza gangster on his heels. The two argue, Yukio is shot, and Kenji kills the intruder. Wandering outside in a daze, Kenji has a fateful encounter with Noi (Boonyasak), a young Thai woman with whom he forms an awkward but oddly affecting friendship.
Why we love it
Elusive yet emotionally satisfying, this ingenious little film about disaffected youths by hip Thai director Ratanaruang mixes moody, dark-comic set pieces such as Kenji’s constantly interrupted suicide attempts with inspired bits of dreamy fantasy, often punctuated by abrupt blasts of violence. Asano, an A-list heartthrob and leading man in Japan, perfectly conveys the loneliness and disillusionment of his character, while Boonyasak charms as his disorganized, out-of-sorts new acquaintance. Beautifully shot by Chris Doyle, “Last Life” takes a poetic approach to morbidity and isolation, as well as the tenuous hope of human connection.
Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak Pen-Ek Ratanaruang