2046 (& 100th post)

2046 is quite possibly, the most depressing movie I've ever seen. Depressing in a way that is painful to anyone who has ever been in love (especially if it isn't entirely reciprocated). Or, alternately, you could take it as a non-definite sequel to In the Mood for Love, and it becomes much less depressing. However, as the direct sequel, and finishing off the trilogy including Days of Being Wild, it is typically brilliant Wong Kar-Wai about the nature of love and heartbreak. And no one can make a perfect shot like him. This one has the scenes in the cab of Tony Leung sitting either with a leading lady or alone. The final scene... well, if it were physically possible to have made me even more depressed than the scene right before... he did it. Plus, he actually gives Zhang Ziyi her best role yet, as she is, in my opinion, the Best Thing in a movie full of Best Things. Every female cast member has scenes that are outstanding, from Gong Li's reaction to the kiss to Faye Wong's dance steps while learning Japanese (and her smoking a cigarette...) to Carina Lau's smiling android, but Zhang is outstanding, especially in that second to last scene. With all of that said, and way too little time spent with Maggie Cheung, whose character's shadow dominates every nook and cranny within the film, how can people not agree that Tony Leung is one of the best actors ever? Because he is. Without a doubt.

The look of the movie is not quite as stylish as his other works, and the CGI was typically terrible as pretty much every non-American CGI production is. It's fine when it's in a cartoon (Miyazaki's use of CGI is almost imperceptible and in Kung Fu Hustle it was basically a live-action cartoon), but it was distracting here. That complaint being said, it's still visually stunning, but it doesn't scream "LOOK AT ME!!!!!!" like his messing with film grains and slow-motion and colors have in the past. Which just means that he's maturing as a filmmaker, but I missed his more overt style occasionally. And then he'd bring out those high heels on the train that lit up while the androids walked in straight lines and I'd forget about everything. As much as I prefer that women wear comfortable shoes rather than torture themselves for my pleasure... I certainly see the attraction to high heels. Or maybe it was just the high heels and cheongsams. Yeah, it was probably just that. Zhang Ziyi in high heels and cheongsams...

Oh, yes, back to the movie...

In reading a lot of reviews of the movie, which, I feel, is entirely necessary after one viewing, I did not see one that went farther than just mentioning using 2046 and 2047 as their clear origins as the years surrounding the end of the 50 year period of nominal independence of Hong Kong. This would clearly be an interesting thing to study in the context of a man who has fallen in love with one woman but has to leave and then cannot function as a human being afterwards. What that has to do with a hooker who'd go straight for the man and a gambler who wears one black glove, I'm not entirely sure. I'll have to think a little bit more about that before discovering the relevance. Or at least being able to explain said relevance with any type of accuracy. I'm not even touching upon the fact that 2046 is the place where people go to recall lost memories, and that no one has ever returned from there. At least in the context of Hong Kong, as it's pretty damn clear that Tony Leung has never returned from his lost memories of Maggie Cheung. Which, I have to say, I would probably agree with, except that it is Zhang Ziyi in a cheongsam throwing herself at me...

Anyway, the entire problem with this movie is simple. All I want to do is watch it again and again in order to get everything out of it. Like I've done with his other movies, rewatching 2046 will bring out more and more things I want to discuss. Of course, my problem with rewatching it is that it just makes me think of my unfortunate timing in meeting women.