Review of 2046 (2004) by David F — 09 Apr 2009

I've just begun my immersion into the word of Wong Kar Wai. I started with his latest, the disappointing "My Blueberry Nights" from last year and now I'm working my way back. I felt a bit letdown with this one as well not cuz it was bad but mainly cuz it felt sorta chaotic and scattered, leaving the narrative cold. Wong Kar Wai is a master who undoubtedly has the special gift to evoke emotions that few can. Whatever story he tells, he always paints a dreamy picture where lovers struggle with their passion for each other and the world their in. However, the time we are given to spend with each of the characters is insufficient and not as convincing as I'd liked. Obsessed by the memory of an unfortunate love affair, Chow (the great Tony Leung) is living in a world where reality is hazardly mixed with fiction. In a rundown Hong Kong hotel he's at work finishing the final pages of a story recalling the women encountered throughout his life. In room 2047 strangers will show up, spend the night, and disappear without a trace barely making an impression on Chow. Then there's his neighbor in room 2046, a beautiful prostitute who has captivated his imaginationâ?¦so much as Chow is ready to follow her in the future where people travel to regain their lost memories. That's right, the future. An element of the film that is never clearly explained but you go along with it cuz it's artfully done.

The film showcases some of Asia's most beautiful and talented actresses such as Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Faye Wong, and the stunning Maggie Chang who all contribute to what ia really a gorgeous film to behold. Yet I got the feeling that the film offers perhaps a restrained director who obviously wanted to follow up his previous films with a deserving work of art. It's wonderfully compoed and alluring to the senses but stronger on style than it is substance. Still, it's a pleasurable journey to a mysterious world where nothing is what it seems. Chow's world is indeed the perfect setting for a film which follows anything but a rational storyline. So much that the minute you turn your eyes away from the screen you will fall victim of Wong Kar Wai's deceiving camera and fail to put together the missing pieces in this quite intriguing film.