MovieChat Forums > Ruang rak noi nid mahasan (2003) Discussion > Theres gotta be more...

Theres gotta be more...

posted 19 years ago by halegua
20 replies | jump to latest

There has to be more than what people on this board have been explaining of the ending and all. I mean, yes I agree he was going to be tortured, and he was daydreaming about going back to Japan to see his girl. But what about his Yakuza tattoo? Did he have a Yakuza history? Maybe that is why he left Japan and lived in solitary? Maybe he was a wanted man? How about when the sisters keep changing places? Are they actually sisters? Could they possibly be the same person? Explain why in the hospital the sister who didnt get killed has bruises on her body. They are clearly visible. My theory is that the girls are the same person. What do you all think?

[–] C-M-Will 19 years ago

Yeah, it is assumed he has a Yakuza history (along with his brother), and probably ran into some trouble in Japan. However I think you're way off with the changing-sister theory, I'm sure Nid died when she got hit by the car, and Noi's "bruises" in the hospital are just stains of her sister's blood, from holding/embracing her dying sister.

[–] cuvtixo 19 years ago

His reasons for leaving Japan might also be Yakuza rivalary instead of law enforcement. I think the main reason he was where he was, is his Obsessive Compulsiveness. Its a debilitating disease. While not pictured very realistically here, the idea that he feels overwhelming urge to be neat(which limits his employment opportunities.) I don't understand what you mean by sisters changing places. I think the bruises are from Noi's boyfriend beating her.

[–] rdoyle29 19 years ago

He means that in about 3 scenes, the actress who plays Nid appears in place of Noi.

[–] chronic9988 19 years ago

The sister suddenly appearing in the others place is explained on an interview on the DVD. They just decided to throw it in to screw with the viewer. It wasn't in the script they just decided hey why not? I also think he mentions they thought she was good looking so they decided to try and get her to come back and that was how. So sadly there is not deeper meaning to the sister switch thing.

Some Days, Some Nights
Some Live, Some Die
In the name of the Samurai

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] mollycat 19 years ago

'yes I agree he was going to be tortured'...eh, did I miss a lot here? Is there a consense that he is going to be tortured? I only saw the 'artificial eye'[uk] version of the movie, in the cinema (?) and dvd, but I never picked up any hints of torture.

I just thought he was picked up by the border guys for either having weapons on him or, more likely, for being wanted on account of his past yakuza involvement.
I just kinda assumed he was in it with his brother, but managed to get away from it all.

so please, what's that torture-theory all about??

The change of the sisters is, I think, because he feels guilty about the one sister's death, and because he was genuinly attracted to her...until he meets the other sister.

[–] arsmit2 19 years ago

Yeah the only meaning to the sister thing was that everyone was always in a good mood when she was around. She was killed off. Things on set turned gloomy. They decided to bring her back to spark life into the film.

There is no symbolism there folks.

The ending shows that he wishes he could go and see her, but he cannot because he is arrested. The book is in his bag in the scene where it seems like he returns to her, but we know that the book is lost. It was his mind's depiction of the ideal situation.

Also, I don't think that this man is obsessive compulsive. Anal-retentive is a more appropriate label.

[–] kimshi42 19 years ago

Interesting film. I couldn't tell it was a Yakuza tattoo and forgot his bro had one too. But I did notice that for such a timid guy, he slapped Jon back in his place with one blow.

What did Nid do...was she a prostitute? Party girl? What was the uniform for?

[–] arsmit2 19 years ago

I think she just lived off of her boyfriend's drug money wealth or whatever he did.
---
Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

[–] kimshi42 19 years ago

Hi,

That's the sister who lived. What about the sister who died? What do you think she did for a living? Thanks.

K

[–] arsmit2 19 years ago

She was obviously still in school because of her school uniform.
---
Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

[–] kimshi42 19 years ago

Hmmm...But there were several other girls in similar uniforms all with older men. And when Noi went looking for Nid, Nid said she still had a "client" waiting for her.

[–] arsmit2 19 years ago

Asian culture makes older men prefer girls younger than normal legal age. It's why Michael Jackson is so big there...

but serious it's the culture...also i think she was in the back room of a strip club when we met her, so I'm guessing she did that on the side (or maybe her sister did)?
---
Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

[–] Sandy__Denny 18 years ago

Honey, those weren't actual school uniforms. Why did you think Nid was wearing her school uniform while working as an escort? You've never seen thai porn, i gather. Those uniforms are just constuming. That was Bangkok for christ's sake. It isn't like young Thai women have a lot of freaking options. Someone one here actually thought she was a waitress.

[–] Schavster 18 years ago

dude, in japan they love they have this school-girl fetish (sub-culture). school girls are given gifts and money to have sex and accompany older men, illicitly, of course. there is a lot of porn and other kinky stuff where women are dressed scantiliy in school-girl outfits.

nid worked in a bar/club which catered to japanese businessmen where all the women dressed up as school girls.

just think, japanese version of the catholic school girl outfit.

[–] brianamos 18 years ago

Yeah the only meaning to the sister thing was that everyone was always in a good mood when she was around. She was killed off. Things on set turned gloomy. They decided to bring her back to spark life into the film.

There is no symbolism there folks.

I don't think it matters that the director said that he randomly threw Nid back into the movie; there still can be symbolism taken away from it. I mean, some of the stuff people obsess over in other movies seems like they could have been randomly thrown in, too, it's just that the director of Last Life is being honest. You have to take the movie as it is, separate from the intentions of the director.

[–] greenroot 18 years ago

^

Agreed.

They didn't throw it in just for "spark". They had to know that people would interpret things differently with them in there. It wasn't meant to be looked up and say "oh, they just threw it in there? well then my whole perception of it is wrong.." they put it in there to MAYBE be a spark of happyness or perhaps a new look on the film.

Saying that there is no symbolism may be right for your perception of it, but if someone else finds something in that scene then I don't think it's fact that there is no symbolism. It's up to the viewer, and was put in to be made up in the viewer's head.

[–] July2Nov 18 years ago

Maybe the director also put in the "changing of the sisters" so they could laugh at all the symbolisim viewers derive from nothing. I know that if I directed films, I would put in a crap load of symbolic imagery because apparently viewers and critics think that is an important ingredient for a great film (i.e. what Paul Verhoeven did in "The Fourth Man"). But I'll go with what the director actually said in the interview. Remember...sometimes a duck, is a duck.

'Sex is like bridge. If you haven't got a good partner, you need a good hand.' --Woody Allen

[–] DP_IL 18 years ago

Yes, but even on a subconscious level, there has to be a reason why they decided to throw that particular random event in there. On a subconscious level, it had some sort of meaning.