2046 (2004)

A different way of telling a story

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

For some reason I thought this would be a sci-fi film with some romance sprinkles on it but it was the complete opposite. It was cool the way it takes you along different relationships of our main character. He's not very likeable but not dislikeable either. There wasn't a clear connection between how it started and what it told throughout the movie which was a bit confusing to me. It's about a writer and his relationships with a bunch of women.

I wish I was a good salesman but I am not and thus selling this great movie is going to be a struggle but I re-watched In the mood for love and this recently and I will give it a shot. 2046's flaws are evident early on, its bulky and a bit too complicated for its own good, it feels like a hot mess mainly set in 60's in Hong Kong, partly set in futuristic 2046, movie isn't linear jumps back and forth between the two timelines, there is some Singapore and Cambodia as well. This is not helped by the fact that the this maybe the least welcoming film of Wong Kar Wai, it expects the most out its viewer than any other WKW film if I do say so myself. 2046 follows Days of being wild and In the mood for love and is the final film in the series (at least currently). It's extremely crucial to have thoroughly watched In the mood for love before approaching this film, also though not critical it's still advisable to watch Days of being wild as the ties between this and 2046 run deep (even some music pieces from DOBW find their way in 2046), its interesting however that DOBW and ITMFL have little in common though.ITMFL is a pretty sad film as it deals with betrayal, being hurt by someone you love and falling in love again but eventually not having it at the end. Well 2046 raises the bar a lot higher it's a downhill journey from the first shot, Chow who had his heart broken and was almost devastated in ITMFL is trying to pick up the pieces but he falls over and over again all through the film. It felt profoundly sad, so much so that it may have left ITMFL a bit behind when it comes heavy emotions. Chow is now a shell of a man he used to be, and is still very much in love with Su Li Zhen from ITMFL he is looking for distractions to take his mind of her but Chow often ends up hurting a lot of women (very similar to York from DOBW). However unlike York who was shown as being young, charismatic and even ruthless, Chow is a smooth operator and is good with words and whenever he behaves what can easily be classified as 'douchy' the movie instantly jumps to his defense showing he is damaged goods and Su Li Zhen really did a number on him. Yuddy/York from DOBW was a very complicated protagonist wherein his motives and behavior was questionable, 2046 again pushes the limits here it's an extremely detailed character study about Chow who unlike York is also shown to be kind and selfless at times. Like I said it's an extremely complicated movie with a lot of layers.The actors are terrific in this film, Tony Leung has become my premiere actor to watch from Hong Kong and my respect for his abilities has only gone up after seeing his performance in this film. The supporting actors are great as well and help in immersion, but Zhang Ziyi deserves a special mention she is a complete powerhouse in the film, was very impressed by her and she even stole the spotlight from Leung in a couple of scenes. Just like other WKW films, 2046 is theme driven. ITMFL was forbidden romance and 2046 is recovery/coming back to life from the brink of destruction, this theme is supplemented by beautiful music and images (WKW's last film with long time cinematographer collaborator Christopher Doyle). If you ever had even one serious failed relationship in your life 2046 will touch you in ways few films on the same subject matter ever would.That being said, I will request you guys to sit through the film it can frustrate a lot of people to not give it a fair chance.

A marvelous movie by Hong Kong director Kar Wai Wong, with an original script, innovative film narrative, wonderful characters and a super-stylish visuals. The movie depicts with realism, nostalgia and lyricism the difficulties and constrictions of the human heart, to love and being loved.It is a nostalgic view to the bygone loves of Tony Leung's, a part-time journalist and writer of romance novels, who lives in room 2047 in a hotel in Hong Kong. 2046 is the room where some of the stories happen, and also the title of Tony's sci-fi novel. The movie is the continuation of In the Mood for Love, and some references are directly related to the story in that movie.1/ The visuals The first thing that will catch your eye are the rich deep colors of the movie, especially the gorgeous reds and greens, but also the beautiful interior cinematography, the dresses, the make-up and hairdos, the colorful retro atmosphere and vintage texture of the film, the super-classy style of the film, in which even the smallest detail is taken care of.2/ The story Two main themes are explored in the film, love and literature. The movie tells several love stories, but they are not corny, as this movie is a reflection on real love - about how the past conditions our present relationships, about how love obsession can self-sabotage your emotional life, about those people who love us but we cannot love, and about the the importance of timing in love. Secondly, the movie depicts the process of literary creation, how our life and experiences affect our writing consciously or not, and how they are intricately mixed together.Tony's character is terrific so realistic and sophisticated at the same time, without all his human flaws well visible to the viewer. The women characters are quintessentially female but clever and powerful, but also drop dead gorgeous.3/ The narrative The narrative is circular but not straightforward as the different love stories are not chronologically told. The movie starts with one important story that happened in the past, and ends with the same story, as this story is the one that affected Tony's heart the most. Moreover, this circular and hopping movement is affected by the insertion of pieces of the present, in which Tony writes his novel 2046 and reflects about his past.The narrative breaks the love stories in different pieces, placing them according to the heart, not according to the time in which they occurred. This honors Tony' emotional memory, although emotional memories are never linear, and they are also affected by our present. Moreover, the way the story is told is intensely evocative and full of nostalgia, and really engaging from a mental point of view. I think that a linear script would have ruined the movie and had a soapy effect on the movie.4/ The acting Tony Leung Chiu Wai (as Tony Leung), Ziyi Zhang (as Bai Ling), and Faye Wong (as Wang Jing-wen and the android) are terrific in their performances, completely in tune with the needs of their characters. This is specially so in the case of y Ziyi Zhang, who looks ravishing beautiful but offers an unforgettable depiction of an emotionally multifaceted woman. One wonders why such a fine talented actress is doing crappy movies in Hollywood while she can really perform.Kar Wai Wong is a rare example of true artist, and this movie is a perfect example of that. I think the movie can be tricky for lazy watchers.

I think part of the difficulty was caused by the difference in culture (Chinese), and my own tiredness, because it was quite difficult a lot of the time to distinguish between different characters (particularly the women). It was quite erratic as well; with a loose miss-match of flash- backs, fantasy scenes, and quotes; which together depict an equally loose interweave of plot-threads. The film had some rather grand moments; when it's general chaos was dispersed to reveal a rather pleasing clarity about any one of a whole series of concepts which the film tried to express. At these moments, I found myself sitting up straight and paying attention, rather than slumped and gently passing the time.I would summarise this film to be Asia's equivalent to the French "Before Sunset" (and probably "Before Sunrise" albeit I have not seen the film yet). I think that I relate to the French mindset better than I do the Asian one.