Last Life In The Universe Analysis

Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, one of Thailands foremost “new wave” filmakers, the strangely haunting Last Life in the Universe provides viewers with an enticing and wholly unique cinematic experience. Delicate, enthralling, and hypnotically charged, Ratanaruang poignantly portrays the story of Kenji, a suicidal, OCD-bound Japanese librarian, living in Bangkok and seemingly on the run from his Yakuza influenced past. Over the course of the film we learn, not so much through dialouge but rather through observation, of the intricacies that surround Kenji's character, his past, and his dynamic change of character, influnced largely by his newly flowered relationship with Noi. To put it frankly, this film is quite unlike anything I've had the pleasure of wathcing before. It is, almost paradoxically, both achingly simple yet inherently

This change, one driven largely by the influence of Noi, represents a key aspect of the storyline, as we see Kenji begin to break free of the OCD-controlled mold we first encounter him in. Thus, these little details, or rather, thematic subtleties, must be addressed in order to fully understand the fundamental shift in Kenji as well to assess the changes that he in turn induces in Noi. Personally, it's the little details presented to us that make such change in Kenji so prominent and significant, particularily with regards to what the film is attempting to evoke: that love or genuine human connection can result in significant personal change, however subtle, positive or negative. Furthemore, the cinematography in many of the scenes tends to emphasize, although often indirectly, the presence of these abundant subtleties through either focusing on them, or by using panning shots and wide angle lenses to highlight their existence within the