Review of 2046 (2004) by Stuart B — 03 Nov 2011

This was a movie we have been desperate, but for some reason unable, to watch ever since we saw In The Mood For Love. And while in that time we were able to find many of his previous movies and fall in love with their beautifully photographed anguish ridden characters, this seemed to keep eluding us. Anyway, we eventually got a chance to watch it and my was it worth the wait. The colour palette is delightful to watch, the story, despite complex and correlating as a sort of sequel to In The Mood For Love is transfixing, and the characters, despite all their faults, completely absorbing. It's an emotional roller coaster of a movie, with it's slow and precise tempo evoking the languid, dreamlike stasis of the 1960s era it is set within and the narrative train journey the characters embark upon.

The story follows a writer who, after being devastated by his one love leaving him, heads into the glitz and glamour of the 1960s as a pimp and playboy in Hong Kong, detaching himself from ever finding love again and playing a cruel game with a girl who falls in love with him. We follow his journey over a period of years, as he travels on the hypothetical train journey of his book to 2046 - a place where people go to recapture their lost memories and live in a time bubble of happiness. It sounds complex, and it is, I will probably need at least another half dozen viewings to fully comprehend it. But I'm looking forward to doing so. It's so rich in texture, its characters so colourful, the music delicately alluring. It's a sublime movie, one which, while possibly not maintaining the singular focus of his masterpiece In The Mood For Love, is bold and compelling. At times breathtaking even. There are not many directors around like Wong Kar Wai, someone whose innate talent for delivering emotionally charged stories with stunning cinematography, and I suppose that's because the word genius, though often touted, is rarely deserved. Here the tag is well represented.