AFS Essentials Presents Last Life In The Universe

Tonight, as part of their South By Southeast: The Films of Thailand and Vietnam series, the Austin Film Society presents Last Life in the Universe, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s gorgeously pensive tale of violence, loneliness and love on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Last Life tells the story of Kenji, a timid, obsessive-compulsive librarian whose attempt to hang himself is interrupted by his brother Yukio, a Japanese gang member on the run from a vindictive Yakuza boss. After a series of tragic, violent events, Kenji’s well-ordered world begins to unravel, and he finds himself hiding out in a run-down beach house with a messy (but beautiful) Thai woman named Noi. As the unlikely pair slowly become friends, vengeful figures emerge from the past to disrupt their serene fantasy world.

Slowly, effortlessly moving between drama, romance and dark comedy, Last Life’s hypnotic tone is often compared to the similarly dreamy (but ultimately very different) Lost In Translation. The dialog shifts from Thai to English to Japanese, and the story frequently branches into fantasies of successful suicide or imagined happiness or both.

Though Last Life moves slowly, it’s buoyed by Christopher Doyle’s beautiful cinematography and by Tadanobu Asano (probably best known for his role in the Japanese cult hit Ichi the Killer) and Sinitta Boonyasak’s modest but wonderful performances.

AFS Essentials: Last Life In The Universe
Tuesday, February 6th
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
7pm, $4 / Free for AFS Members
[Tickets]