FILM SCREENINGS

Last Life in the Universe

2003. Thailand. Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. Screenplay by Prabda Yoon, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. Cinematography by Chris Doyle. With Asano Tadanobu, Sinitta Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka. This beautifully photographed film—one of several in this exhibition photographed by Doyle—illustrates Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s profound understanding of the aimless spirit and cautious dreams of Asia’s youth. The fortunes of Kenji, a suicide-obsessed Japanese man living in Bangkok, take a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills a Yakuza gang member. That same night, Noi, a Thai barmaid in the burnt-out beach town of Pattaya, accidentally kills her sister. Thrown together by this common twist of fate, Kenji and Noi find their lives inextricably linked as they hide out together, hoping to find love and redemption. Courtesy Palm Pictures. In Thai, Japanese, English; English subtitles. 112 min.