Last Life in the Universe
2003
Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak

I watched this film after 3-Iron and I loved this film even more. They are two films that require patience and the rewards you get from both of them are rich. It truly is a film to cherish and recommend to others. It's a film to lift people's spirits and as one film critic says, "a grown up Lost in Translation." It's sad that this won't win an Academy Award because it was already submitted two years ago as Thailand's submission. What an injustice that this film wasn't nominated. It is a film that is pure, crystalline, and perfect.

The story revolves around Kenji (Tadanobu Asano), a librarian nerd whose obsessive compulsive disorder always gets the better of him. He believes that his life is going nowhere so he tries to commit suicide numerous times to no use (he's always interrupted). Believing that committing suicide is the only way to get into the next step in life, he tries to shoot himself in the head. While trying to do his deed, he hears something and sees his brother get killed in front of his eyes by a gangster and he accidentally kills the gangster himself. He meets the older sister of a girl that gets sideswiped in front of him and begins to fall in love with her. He begins to live with her as he helps her with her problems.

Along with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tadanobu Asano is another actor whom I greatly admire and his performance here is nothing short of spectacular. Many of his OCD tics are quite funny and his calm, serene demeanor is perfect with the match of the talkative Noi (Sinitta Boonyasak). I would never believe that this is Sinitta's first acting role. Her performance is so natural and her looks so luminous and beautiful it feels like she's a classic actress of Katherine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Ava Gardner . She is Kenji's yin and his yang. The two work together so naturally that if other actors were used, there would be no chemistry.

Christopher Doyle's cinematography again has to be applauded. His work here is remarkable and downright breathtaking. This is why he is the greatest cinematographer working today. But all this would not be accomplished without the masterful direction of Pen-ek Ratanaruang. Without words and only using the image, we find out what Kenji's background, what he dislikes, what he loves, and his personality.

Aside from Million Dollar Baby, this ties it for being the best film I've seen this year. The only difference being that both films are from the different sides of the spectrum.

It was written on the post-it note in the film and it truly defines this film:
"This is bliss."

Grade: A+