Last Life in the Universe

"Why bother with suicide?"

2003 1h 52m TH

👍

7.1

SOLID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 169🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes●73Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 11,637

DramaActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An obsessive-compulsive Japanese librarian living in Bangkok spends most of his days contemplating suicide in his apartment. His life changes when he witnesses the death of a young girl and becomes acquainted with her elder sister.

“Why bother with suicide?”

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Cast

Tadanobu Asano
Kenji
Daran Boonyasak
Noi
Chermarn Boonyasak
Nid
Yutaka Matsushige
Yukio
Riki Takeuchi
Takashi
Takashi Miike
Yakuza
Yoji Tanaka
Yakuza
Sakichi Sato
Yakuza

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Writers: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Prabda Yoon
Languages: Japanese, Thai, English
Countries: Thailand, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, Thai, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Thailand, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hualampong Riddim. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Patamanadda Yukol shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tadanobu Asano and Daran Boonyasak and Chermarn Boonyasak carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Why bother with suicide?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang directs. Christopher Doyle behind the camera. Hualampong Riddim scores. Patamanadda Yukol cuts. Produced in Thailand, Japan. Dialogue in Japanese, Thai, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 23 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, Thai, English.
3International production across 2 countries: Thailand, Japan.
4Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hualampong Riddim. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Patamanadda Yukol shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tadanobu Asano and Daran Boonyasak and Chermarn Boonyasak carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Why bother with suicide?".
9IMDB entry: tt0345549 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.