last life in the universe

After going to print, I decided to treat myself; I felt overjoyed as a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders, so I went to the supermarket and bought a 12-pack of Miller High Life and a bottle of Canadian whiskey. My sharp focus of drinking away the past week and a half of work in the comfort of my own home, however, blinded me to my need for sustenance. I hadn't eaten since the early afternoon, so it didn't take much to have me whooping and hollering at the TV during two very good episodes of Lost and Alias.

My joy quickly gave way to the vague melancholy that I usually find myself in. I find that I don't like to feel anything too extreme, or anything at all really, which is why i do my best not to get happy, sad or mad about anything, because it doesn't take much for me to go bonkers in either direction. A simple cupcake can send me into an emotional rollercoaster, and frankly, such an ordeal is tiring. Luckily, I found the perfect piece of entertainment to match my mood.

Last Life in the Universe is so subtle, it lulls you into forgetting that you're watching a movie. It's absolutely hypnotic, quirky, charming and quiet. The two beautiful people pictured (Asano Tadanobu on the left and Sinitta Boonyasak on the right) paint heartbreaking portraits of two people who seem on the brink of total collapse. Asano playing a Japanese man (Kenji) living in Thailand under suspect circumstances and Sinitta a tragically disorganized Thai woman (Noi). Kenji is obsessed with suicide, but seems to lack the desire to go through with it. The two are brought together after Noi's sister Nid is killed in an automobile accident. Kenji himself had just witnessed the the death of his own brother.

Though the story is so understated, I thought the film was exceptionally powerful. The way the images are strung together is very subjective. Though they were sometimes surreal, the visuals felt so natural. Kenji and Noi spoke different languages, so in order to communicate they switched from what little Thai or Japanese they knew and broken English. It was little wrinkles like that that really brought the movie to life and makes me want to stop typing about it and watch it again. Asano really is a remarkable actor. Anyone who can go from Kakihara in Ichi the Killer to this role must have serious chops. For her part, Sittina was awesome in this, her first role--at least according to imdb.com, and I usually take their word as gospel (like you don't). It was hard to tell if she was acting or just sort of caught on camera; she was also all sorts of pretty, and that never hurts. I think I found another one to put on the list. How many is that now?

I also learned how to text wrap, kinda, and it only took me all night!