Finally got my hands on a dvd of 2046 the other day so I was able to watch Wong Kar Wai's latest extravagance.
My dad had warned me before hand that I might not understand Wong Kar-wai's strange and elaborate plots. But having seen the film once, I think I can just about guage whats going on.
Set in 1966, the story of 2046 focuses around the writer "Mr Chow" (Tony Leung) who writes stories for a Chinese newspaper. Mr Chow lives in a hotel and the name "2046" refers to a room in the hotel where one of Mr Chow's ex-lovers was violently murdered. The film charts Mr Chow's life and experiences, and in particular his romantic experiences he has during his time at the hotel.
The name 2046 however, is also used by Mr Chow as the title of one his stories set in the future which is actually based around his own romantic experiences. 2046 is a mythical place which everyone is trying to get to; happiness. The only way to get to 2046 is via a futuristic train, where female androids work to please its travellers. The androids are actually based around Mr Chow's former lovers.
Confused? It makes slightly more sense if watch the film.
The manner in which 2046 has been shot is remarkably similar to that of Wong Kar-wai's last effort, "In the Mood for Love". The hotel is shot in a dark and moody fashion and the film moves along at a slow pace. The visual spectacle of 2046 livens up when the action switched to the future of Mr Chow's story, and the costumes worn look spectacular without being ridiculous.
One of Wong Kar-wai's greatest acheivements with 2046 is the way in which the film is open to any number of interpretations. Its unlikely that any 2 audiences will see the film in the same light. For me, I got the idea that Mr Chow's 2046 story was an allegory of life in general, where everybody is left searching for something that is unobtainable, the hotel representing the train. However, its likely that anyone else watching the film will completely disagree with this view.
Zhang Ziyi plays the role of one of Mr Chow's love interests, "Bai". Moving into the room next door to Chow at the hotel, she plays a prostitute (though that is never made completely clear) who falls in love with him.
Of the entire female cast in the film, Zhang Ziyi has probably the biggest role. Predictably, its another fine performance from her. She plays her role with passion, and conveys a flirty and sexy presence to the camera. Her character is well-developed during the film, to the point that the viewer will feel sorry for her, and in some instances be able to relate to what she's going through.
Unfortunately, there are a few annoying features of 2046.
Evidently Wong Kar-wai has never been taught the art of editing. The film is a whopping 3 hours long when there is simply no need to be. Wong Kar-wai likes to waste time trying to make dramatic effects from scenes which arent really that dramatic. For example, in one scene a character leaves through a door (to leave forever). Yet, rather than simply show the character leaving, Wong Kar-wai insists upon replaying the shot of the character leaving throught the door from 3 different angles.
I had been looking forward to seeing Chang Chen and Ziyi reunited on screen after their exploits in CTHD. Unfortunately, they share no screen time at all, which is rather dissappointing.
A lot has been said about the fact that Wong Kar-wai works without a script, and in a confusing, nonsensical film like 2046, it really does show. The film often switches randomly from the present day to the fictional world of 2046 and back to the present day and then to the past. It leaves viewers in a state of confusion, and at times it really makes you wonder if even Wong Kar-wai actually completely understands his own film.
Yet despite these irritations, the film is still quite enjoyable and really keeps you thinking about it long after you've watched it. The ending of the film asks as many new questions as it answers.
I'm currently torn between declaring the film a triumphant masterpiece from Wong Kar-wai or declaring it an irrelevant 3 hours of nonsensical ramblings.
I'm not sure if 2046 is actually a flawed film, or whether its me who is the flawed one, or whether 2046 is a true work of genius.
