Critic Reviews
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Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
It's an offbeat romance that defies easy labeling, recommendable as a film buff's pleasure and a semi-audacious art-house curio.
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Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
[Reflects] the growing interpenetration of many individual national cinemas into a cultural conglomerate that reflects the irresistible tide of cinematic globalization.
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G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
The film has a precise, slow pace that allows us to get to know these quiet, quirky characters, and an imaginatively experimental approach to their thoughts and dreams.
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Michael Booth, Denver Post
An absorbing series of intricately planned shots that play like installation art at a modern museum.
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Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
There is some lovely filmmaking here, and nice surprises.
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
The Thai locales, the stars and Doyle's expressive cinematography add up to a disarmingly seductive yet always precarious film experience.
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Jean-François Vandeuren, Panorama
Un film dont les élans singuliers mènent à la fascination.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
One fascinating -- if not wholly accessible -- movie.
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Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Asano é sempre um ator interessante, mas a montagem é auto-indulgente e o roteiro, pretensioso.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Macabre film about a suicidal librarian.
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Matt Bailey, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
A film that demands second and even third viewings in order to absorb all of its nuances.
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Andrew Wright, The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
This trip-hoppy tone poem left me feeling like I'd never seen a movie before.
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Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
... a dreamy study in stillness broken by suicide fantasies, flashbacks, and the hired killers, but even the violence has a meditative even melancholy quality to it...
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Constantly surprising.
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Paul Sherman, Boston Herald
This arthouse drama could have used less concept and more focused storytelling.
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Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
One of the year's most original and compelling releases.
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Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
a deeply intriguing and contemplative two-person character study that offers many small rewards along the way
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Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
A brilliantly atmospheric, sweetly nutty film.
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Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
...rests entirely on Asano's performance, and he doesn't disappoint.
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Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
While Last Life boasts two excellent performances -- Asano and Sinitta -- the real stars are the set and Doyle's cinematography.
Read all 20 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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This one was quite a light film as opposed to what I was expecting. The story is odd, but not appealing enough. Slightly slowly paced, this flick is neither serious (dark and interesting) nor an out and out entertainer. Watchable, but not a must watch.
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Nice dreamlike atmosphere & beautiful images by Doyle but the film suffers from overusing the indie spirit cliches, It could have been a lot better & could have had a lot more to offer
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With Christopher Doyle's unrivalled cinematography this is a film that always looks good no matter what its flaws may be. A seen it before plot is handled in a much quiter than usual way. Language barriers are gradually broken down to make way for more misunderstandings in a very… More
With Christopher Doyle's unrivalled cinematography this is a film that always looks good no matter what its flaws may be. A seen it before plot is handled in a much quiter than usual way. Language barriers are gradually broken down to make way for more misunderstandings in a very bittersweet film. Not particularly easy to like, it is however impossible to hate. Asano adds another fantastic credit to his filmography.
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Good movie, gorgeous cinematography. Awesome Chris Doyle commentary track
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Wong Kai Waresque thai flick about two lonely characters trying to find a way in their lives. While this type of "oh i'm so lonely" melancholic flicks are hardly my type the film has plenty of details here and there that makes it a more rich offer than other flicks of… More
Wong Kai Waresque thai flick about two lonely characters trying to find a way in their lives. While this type of "oh i'm so lonely" melancholic flicks are hardly my type the film has plenty of details here and there that makes it a more rich offer than other flicks of the type, which are usually just about as interesting as watching the grass grow.
Not a classic by any chance, but won't hurt a check. Good casting with Asano and that Thai chick. Also, special mention to the cameos of Rikki Takeuchi, Sakichi Sato and Miike.
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I cannot imagine a romance film that is more sincere or subdued. It's like watching every good dream you've ever had unfurl on the screen.
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<b>Ruang rak noi nid mahasan</b> <p> This is bliss. <p> A Thai-Japanese surreally blended love story. Life goes like this, we all hope: you believe you have reached the end of your rope--no pun intended if you've seen the movie. When you believe the end… More
<b>Ruang rak noi nid mahasan</b> <p> This is bliss. <p> A Thai-Japanese surreally blended love story. Life goes like this, we all hope: you believe you have reached the end of your rope--no pun intended if you've seen the movie. When you believe the end has come, that life really has no purpose, suddenly you are thrown, through circumstance, into a situation where you realize you are not alone, that life does have meaning, and that love is the reason why you have found this new perpective: This is bliss. <p> The best scene in this movie is the magical house-cleaning one. Kind of like the sorcerer's apprentice. There is definitely a nod to <i>Harold and Maude</i> in this movie. Big applause for Tadanobu Asano as the ex-patriot Yakuza hiding out in Bangkok.
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Thai/Japanese drama about two isolated people hanging out together after their siblings are abruptly killed. I was wary about waching this as I feared it would play out like a cute romantic comedy, but it doesnt in the slightest, just two people getting the space and time to get to… More
Thai/Japanese drama about two isolated people hanging out together after their siblings are abruptly killed. I was wary about waching this as I feared it would play out like a cute romantic comedy, but it doesnt in the slightest, just two people getting the space and time to get to know each other in the worlds messiest beachside house.
<img src="http://img.listal.com/image/1617915/600full-last-life-in-the-universe-screenshot.jpg">
From CEWEBRITY's favourites list
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This movie = zzzzzzzzzzzz + one magical scene.
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Love this movie. The movie's director is a complete genius, with his techniques from making the film interchange smoothly from a "glossy" to an indie movie as the story line progressed to choosing to make the actors speak biligually.
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Intensely moving and beautiful.
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Very stylish but you have to be in a very calm mood to sit through this movie. It certainly takes its time and in the end you still may not get it.
Read all 12 featured audience ratings
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