Review of 2046 (2004) by Jason K — 24 Jul 2015

Another rare opportunity to see an amazing film before it was released in the US or Canada.

Kar-wai Wong's highly effective and equally experimental film is connected to his previous cinematic triumph, "In the Mood for Love" but it is not anywhere near the genre of a "sequel.".

It is instead a continuation of the male character's life long after his love has left Hong Kong. Tony Leung's "Mo-wan" has become a gambling and heavy-drinking lothario. He no longer seems concerned with the idea of "love," his focus is set on sexual pleasure and his work.

His work is deceptive. We already knew he had a passion for comic book/Sci-Fi that he shared with Maggie Cheung's character in the first film. But it would appear that his fantasy "creative work" is starting to merge into his reality.

Or is it?

Here lies the challenge of accepting "2046" as a sequel to "In the Mood for Love" -- this new film is equally interested in unconsummated love, but in a very different way.

It first seems that Chow's imaginary fantasy is that of a man taking a space trip in time that may or may not correspond to the room number of his hotel living quarters. On the space journey the man on the trip appears to be Chow (Tony Leung) dressed in futuristic attire and sporting long hair. There is a female on board who becomes an obsession for the traveler. She is possibly a Japanese Robot. Or she might be an alternate substitute for Maggie Cheung's character who left the possibility of love when she left Chow to return to her husband.

This is a truly gorgeous film. Primarily shot by Christopher Doyle with two additional cinematographers lending their perspectives on film which takes many odd side steps and flows.

Sexuality plays a major role here. Chow now enjoys carnal delights but is ultimately unsatisfied. References to Christmas Eve begin to shift meanings.

Kar-wai Wong creates a truly Surreal cinematic experience in which logic, liner time lines, reality and fantasy become merged. It is hard to fully know if we are only following one character or several. It may read like a negative or confused ideology -- but it isn't. One gets the feeling that every move and every shot add up. And repeated viewings offer deeper insights.

At the end of the day, this film does not live up to the magic presented in the realistically-grounded "In the Mood for Love." But there is a solid connection between both films. And somehow Wong's convoluted film comes across with a similar central theme of question: Is it the desire for love that moves us forward or the consumption of it that fills and grounds us?

An oddly moving film. And unforgettable.