REWATCH: Last Life in the Universe

This is the first time I have watched a film that I have already reviewed on this blog again. I already reviewed Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Last Life in the Universe (2003) back in November so you better read it first in case you haven't already.

Ratanaruang's surrealistic and melancholic meditation on death, loss and isolation still packs a punch for me - although this time the film was not as surprising. The occasional black humor is brilliant and reminded me a bit of the korean director Chan-wook Park. However, the humor doesn't have a presense as strong as it has in Park's films. Doyle's cinematography is still fascinating and the musical score (and sound design in general) is haunting.

The thing I love the most about this film is the main character Kenji - and Asano's portrayal of him. Even though the character is an exaggerated stereotype, it never becomes a problem for me.  He is well developed and Asano's performance is simply stunning. I can not emphasize his importance to the film's success enough in this review.

Score: 10 out of 10

A Letter to Uncle Boonmee

First of all, I have to thank The Auteurs for hosting the online premiere of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's latest short film, A Letter to Uncle Boonmee (2009), for FREE. I recommend everyone to check it out (see the link in the earlier sentence - you only need to sign up to the site and it is free as well). The short film is extremely lyrical and it's hard to grasp what it is exactly about. The letter mentioned in the title is focused upon at first, but then the film ventures elsewhere. Most of the film consists of beautiful panning shots of houses and jungle. The form is extremely hypnotic in its sound design as well - it reminds me of the director's earlier film, Tropical Malady. In short, the short film is an interesting production although the content is quite baffling.

Score: 6 out of 10

Syndromes and a Century

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Syndromes and a Century (2006) continues the director's "traditions": long shots, slow pace and the lack of conflict in the plot. The film is Weerasethakul's own take on how his parents (both of them doctors) met and it is partly based on his memories of growing up in a hospital. The story is divided into two segments which share similar scenes and the same actors (and characters to some degree as well). The "repeated" scenes are however set in different locations and they are viewed from a different point of view (or the result might even be completely changed sometimes). A scene is repeated only one at most, and even then in different segments - so it isnt exactly the modern Last Year at Marienbad. 

The director seems to long for the past because the first segment that takes place notably earlier than the second is treated with more care. The second segment feels more like a piece of sharp social criticism with people acting more like machines and all the characters seem to be so isolated from others. The repetition of similar moments heavily punctuate the narrative, and they also provide a refreshing way to approach the content. It is truthful to say that the film is about the power of memory, but that statement makes the film sound a lot more simple than it really is. The film's content shoots at a lot of direction and thus its content is a bit confusing and nigh impossible to describe perfectly.

The film's dreamlike and hypnotic form deserves a lot of praise. Weerasethakul shows he has the talent and confidence to masterfully use long shots. His use of sound should not be forgotten because it plays a subtle yet significant part in setting the mood for the whole film. The compositions are stunning and I would say the film is worth watching even if it was only for the awesome cinematography.

In overall, Syndromes and a Century is an impressive and experimental film which I would recommend watching if its "meditativeness" doesnt bother you.

Score: 9 out of 10

Tropical Malady

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Tropical Malady (2004) is divided into two sections. One is set in modern world and it is closely in touch with reality, but the other handles fantasy and mythology in a peculiar way. These two separate stories are mostly connected by their focus on desire and both of them portray only one central relationship. The first segment is the story of a soldier (Banlop Lomnoi) falls in love with a country boy (Sakda Kaewbuadee) who seems to give some sort of affection in return, but it is never specified if it is love. The second segment focuses on a Thai myth in which a soldier chases a tiger in the jungle.

It is interesting how Weerasethakul creates a "discussion" between these two stories. This active connection between the two stories makes them a bit deeper and more fascinating. It is interesting to see the similarities in the central relationships (soldier+country boy, soldier+tiger). Weerasethakul throws in some distracting elements, like a cautionary tale in the first segment, and the awkward bits of mythology in second one. While the mythology serves as one of the key factors to support the segment's elements of fantasy, it is too vocally pointed at without it being a major element. It even reaches (unintentionally?) comical levels when a monkey starts speaking and offers some proper advice for the soldier. This film left me a bit puzzled: in a way, I could appreciate it for its poetic approach, but it isnt completely solid in that aspect.

Weerasethakul's form consists of long, static shots and usually there is no music to accompany the cinematography. Tropical Malady makes a few exceptions in the first segment: it includes a few off-beat sequences filled with music, and there are a few occasions in which the camera moves a lot. While the cinematography isnt necessarily great in Tropical Malady, its use of sound is brilliant. The silence is effective, and in the second segment the jungle literally becomes alive. It is a great sensory experience.

Typical Malady is a nice experimental film, but in the end it is uneven and lacks the finishing touch.

Score: 6 out of 10

Last Life in the Universe

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Last Life in the Universe (2003) is the complete opposite of his earlier film, Monrak Transistor (2001): it is melancholic, calm and it is more concerned about its concepts than a tight and complicated plot. The film is an accurate character study of the two main characters. One is a completely introverted Japanese man (Tadanobu Asano) who attempts suicide on various occasions, but he claims he isnt doing it out of hopelessness. Due to an unfortunate accident, he meets an extroverted Thai girl (Sinitta Boonyasak).

The character studies are simply fascinating in Last Life in the Universe. Both of the main characters are given equal focus and it really gives a wide perspective for the film. We enter their dreams and thoughts in an intriguing way. At its core, the film is about life, death, alienation and reconciliation. Death is always present in the film. The eruptions of violence are somehow so melancholic and even bittersweet. It is interesting even on the surface as it works as a romantic comedy, but I hardly even thought of it as one before writing this review.

Christopher Doyle worked as the Director of Photography for this film, and that can easily be noticed in the cinematography. Ratanaruang's form was already excellent in Monrak Transistor without Doyle, but now it reaches new, unbelieveable levels of quality. The compositions and camera movement are so essential that many reviewers easily call it the third main character of the film.

The film relies heavily on the two main actors who are astonishing. Tadanobu Asano's restrained performance as the introvert is so pitch-perfect that I would laud it as one of the best performances of the whole decade. It is the complete opposite of his performance in Ichi the Killer, and it is refreshing to see him in a role like this. Sinitta Boonyasak's performance is not to be forgotten: it is as glorious as Asano's. Their body language is essential for the interpretation of the film and they succeed in so many ways that it is hard to describe it sufficiently. 

The same thing goes for the whole film: I believe my review can hardly describe, evaluate and show respect to the film as well as possible. It is so carefully nuanced and delicately executed. It left me with this strong feeling of weightlessness and emptiness - in a good way.

Score: 10 out of 10

Monrak Transistor

(The image is from Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal - couldnt capture one myself because I watched the film on TV)

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Monrak Transistor (2001) is yet another wicked Thai film which is hardly comparable to other films I've seen. It is an exciting combination of a tragedy, tongue-in-cheek comedy and musical - with a few other elements thrown into the mix as well. The film follows the story of a young (and dumb) man who wants to become a singer. That *might* sound simple, but I assure you this film makes it awfully complicated. It seamlessly mixes serious and laugh-out-loud elements of the plot, and I have to laud the director for that. The content is far from perfect: it seems to waste its time on a few unnecessary elements, sometimes it doesnt seem have to an idea what it wants to be and at its core the screenplay isnt necessarily deep or smart - but it covers all that under its fine form. The form is delightful: awesome cinematography, great compositions, interesting editing and the musical bits are great. I can not emphasize its peculiar attitude and pace enough - it is peculiar to the point of being both good and bad in that aspect. In any case, I strongly recommend anyone to watch the film because it is a great way to spend the evening.

Score: 8 out of 10