Invisible Waves cover art

Invisible Waves Details

2006 Certificate 15
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 183 members

After inadvertently killing his girlfriend, a man (Asano) flees Macau for Thailand in an attempt to cope with his guilt, and avoid possible arrest. But the relocation doesn't prevent his problems from following him, as his new friends could be potential enemies. Read more

Starring Tadanobu Asano, Hye-jeong Kang, Hye-Jeong Kang, Eric Tsang
Director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Genres Drama, Thriller, World Cinema

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Invisible Waves

After inadvertently killing his girlfriend, a man (Asano) flees Macau for Thailand in an attempt to cope with his guilt, and avoid possible arrest. But the relocation doesn't prevent his problems from following him, as his new friends could be potential enemies.

Starring Tadanobu Asano, Hye-jeong Kang, Hye-Jeong Kang, Eric Tsang, Maria Cordero, Toon Hiranyasap, Ken Mitsuishi
Director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
Studio PALISADES TARTAN
Run time DVD: 1 hr 55 mins
Certificate Certificate 15
Genres Drama, Thriller, World Cinema
Language DVD: Thai, Japanese, Korean
Subtitles DVD: English
Released DVD: 12 Nov 2007
Production year: 2006
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews of Invisible Waves

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  • The latest from the director of Monrak Transistor and Last Life in the Universe has been described as a... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
  • Most helpful member's review of Invisible Waves

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  • 9 out of 9 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Not an invisible director

    This film, like it's prequel 'Last Life in the Universe', has an almost invisible actor at its heart. Asano Tadanobu kills his boss's girlfriend. We don't see him kill her but we know he will. How? We see his face as they are dirnking. We see him give her a glass of wine. We see him looking at a knife then hiding it. He doesn't look evil or demented or any of the things we are supposed to look out for in bad guys, and we are confused as to why he's going to kill her. There you go.

    We find out, in a way, at the end when why's are no longer important.

    What you find inbetween the confusion is a film of blood and foriegn airports, of phone calls and either no-one or everyone speaking your langauge. Asano travells south east Asia, on the instructions of someone else. Who? we're not sure, but we let the movie work it out at its own pace. Travelling with these guys is enthralling.

    The director suggests a kind of permanent paranoia in the sounds and images of this film, boat sounds creating more tension that a hundred CGI violins. Around every corner you expect a ghost, or gangster or a beautiful girl to appear.

    It's that kind of movie. A movie which lets you think, imagine and feel inside the tone of the film. Which is exactly why Asano works in this (and 'Last Life'). I heard it said that he's part of a Japanese tradition of actors who practise internalising their emotions, until they show near-nothing, and through that comes the performance.

    It's a mysterious one this, take a breath.

      • A customer from Leicester
  • Most recent members' review of Invisible Waves

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  • 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    A bit too listless this one

    This is something of a languid thriller. Its slow pace, washed out colours and existential feel doesn’t really lend itself to the thriller genre but the main elements of the plot do. We have a subtle central character who’s guilt ridden, in search of himself and looking for some form of redemption. Tadanobu Asano has the right kind of quiet quality to carry this off and it’s a mature, intelligent film, but it’s not as engaging as the directors previous film, ‘Last Life In the Universe’, also featuring Asano. I wasn’t really intrigued by the characters and I didn’t care too much about the outcome. If you wanna check out this director go for ‘Last Life’.

    • chungking
      • chungking from London
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Rating breakdown

183 Member ratings
  • 100
10
  • 90
5
  • 80
22
  • 70
38
  • 60
47
  • 50
17
  • 40
17
  • 30
6
  • 20
12
  • 10
9

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    • Invisible Waves
      After inadvertently killing his girlfriend, a man (Asano) flees Macau for Thailand in an attempt to cope with his guilt, and avoid possible arrest. But the relocation doesn't prevent his problems from following him, as his new friends could be potential enemies....