fludd.org - Movie Review

After he has gain worldwide recognition, Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood for Love), one of the most creative and innovative Chinese movie directors from the fifth generation, offers us the most anticipated movie at the Cannes International Film Festival. Regarded as a sequel of the magnificent movie In the Mood for Love, the movie 2046 is definitely different from its predecessor. While trying to push the boundaries of cinematographic conventions and keeping his astounding personal touch, Wong Kar-Wai’s 2046 is certainly an excellent movie, but it can nonetheless be the object of different interpretations. Before we go straight to the point, you should know that 2046 is the number of an apartment in the movie, the title of the leading character’s novel and the year when the Chinese government will rescind Hong Kong’s status.

Since 2046 is regarded as a sequel to In the Mood for Love, at the beginning, it brings us where its predecessor ended: Chow Mo-Wan is left alone by Su Li-Zhen. This time, instead of putting all the attention on the relation between Chow Mo-Wan and a woman, Wong Kar-Wai has taken the decision to explore, with his own peculiar way, Chow Mo-Wan’s mind and complex past. While being purposely slow, during certain times, 2046 might leave a cold impression to the movie viewers that its storyline doesn’t have any specific direction. As strange as it might look, the movie does have a story, but don’t even try to understand something about this movie’s storyline, because you will find nothing and the story itself is only a long and a beautifully elaborated exploration of Chow Mo-Wan’s past and present days, while he’s facing many unanswered questions about love, passion, hope and desire.

Anyone who wants to watch a movie directed by Wong Kar-Wai is certainly dying to see breathtaking images. Despite not being a conventional movie, 2046 looks more like an exhibition of gorgeous animated paintings, thanks to the material eyes of cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love ; Hero) who really relies on his unequalled visual creativity. Just like In the Mood for Love Wong Kar-Wai passionately films 2046 by showing the movie not through the eyes of the leading character, but rather through the eyes of a “witness” that is none other than the movie viewer himself/herself. As a movie viewer, we do take the strange pleasure to try to think like the characters in order to understand them (which is not always easy, mind you), because of the invisible barriers that stand between the characters and us. Despite being often implicit, 2046’s images single-handedly manage to bring to the surface the characters’ sadness, sexual fantasies, passion, anger and desire.

In addition to the fantastic images that are a revealing guide of the characters’ emotions, the music that is well composed and conducted by Shigeru Umebayashi (House of Flying Daggers) does occupy a great place in the movie 2046. While we are letting them tickle our sensitive ears, the only thing that we can do is to let ourselves be seduced by such a musical finesse from Shigeru Umebayashi that does support extremely well the nice images that can either be slow, quick, blurry or ordinary.

Besides being so magnificently presented, 2046 features one of the most beautiful performances delivered by any given cast from a movie. Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love ; Hero), as Chow Mo-Wan, categorically pins you down to your seat with his performances implicitly filled with awesome nuances. Without a doubt, Leung is the man of the situation when it comes to play the man who wears a mask by showing you that he’s the master of flirting and at the same time somebody who conceals his inner wounds from the past.

Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), as Bai Ling, besides looking so lovely and deadly sexy, brings her thespian ability to a higher echelon that you have never seen before without even relying on her martial prowess. From all the supporting members of the cast, she is, without a doubt, portraying the most interesting characters because Bai Ling fascinates us not only because of her charm, but also because of the power of attraction that she exerts on Chow Mo-Wan and her emotional depth that often puzzles us. As Su Li-Zhen (another one), Gong Li (Ju Dou) really moves us with her sad performance that is unfortunately too short, but don’t worry, Gong Li is confirming that she’s really one of the best Chinese actress that has impose herself on the screens from all around the world. Faye Wong (Chungking Express), as Wang Jin Wen, the girl who loves a Japanese guy, and as an android on the 2046 train, is an actress that I watched for the second time of my life with great delight. Takuya Kimura, as Tak/Wang Jin Wen’s boyfriend is superb although most his lines are in Japanese. Carina Lau, as Lulu and the android on the 2046 train, strikes the right note with her excellent performance.

All that being said about the movie’s presentation, let it be said that 2046, at the first look, is totally not a conventional movie with a linear story that is easy to understand. In fact, the movie’s complex and elaborated storyline is only a bizarre way for director Wong Kar-Wai to launch the movie viewer into Chow Mo-Wan’s mind without being to explicit. Well, this movie shows us the backside of Wong Kar-Wai’s portrait of abilities, in terms of storyline (hey, there’s nothing to understand about the story!). Obviously, 2046 is a gorgeous visual poem breathing with mesmerizing images that are lavishly shot by Christopher Doyle, the cinematographer, and talking with a wonderful performance from the cast that you can only see once in a lifetime. During the Cannes International Film Festival, in 2004, 2046 was considered by many movie viewers as the serious candidate to win the Palme d’Or (the award for the best movie), but unfortunately, Fahrenheit 9/11 won it. After all, no matter what everybody says, 2046, as a movie, is, by far, better than Fahrenheit 9/11.

Site menu:

Movie Review