2046 (2004)

In Wong Kar Wai's quasi-sequel to In the Mood for Love, 2046 is a hotel room, a futuristic story, and a state of mind. Tony Leung returns as Chow, but perhaps not the same Chow who appeared in the first film. Starting three years later in 1966, we see Chow on various Christmases as he lives, loves, and writes in a hotel and nearby restaurants. Although he is less sensitive and more of a ladies man now, Chow's love life always seems to exceed his grasp. Whether the character is the same (the director calls this an "echo" of the first movie) might be trivial. Hong Kong filmmaker Wai is such a visualist (Time magazine tabbed him as the "world's most romantic filmmaker"), the images wash over with swirling smoke, neon lights, and the faces of his outstanding cast, all lovingly photographed and smoothly scored. There's a lot more going on than the visuals, and Wai's fans will certainly find more and more details on repeated viewings. We travel into Chow's futuristic story, where the acquaintances become fictional characters traveling to a place where "everyone goes" to recapture lost memories. Often Chow talks about never seeing a lover ever again, but eventually bumps into her. The final result is a film some will cherish; others will long for the more traditional storyline of the first film. Wai certainly finds a new direction for actress Ziyi Zhang (House of Flying Daggers) as a prostitute who becomes one of Chow's many lovers. And Leung continues to be one of the world's great film actors, with a face and acting style the camera just loves. --Doug Thomas Amazon.com

Excellent foreign film.

I bought this movie mainly because I'm a big fan of Ziyi Zhang. She just jumps off the screen in this movie. I think this is probably her best work, Memoirs of a Geisha aside. May 27, 2008

Review for 2046

All star female cast and good plot... what more could you ask for? English dub. It is an awesome movie, came to me in great condition and in no time at all.Highly recommended but make sure you watch it closely or you will fall behind. May 19, 2008

2046 is it really that long!!

The trailer was better than the movie. Though it was beautifully filmed it was to long. The trailer was a bit misleading, but no spoiler here. If the movie was 30 minutes shorter it would have been better, it had more false endings than Lord of the Rings. I would have loved to give it a five, but it just didn't make the cut! March 10, 2008

Clarification

Some people here are complaining that they dont understand this wonderful, this marvelous film. So, may I suggest them to make a visit to "2046 wilkipedia". All will suddenly become clear! February 27, 2008

The Good, the Bad, and the Well, there is no Ugly

I didn't want this film to end, because (1) I loved the visual style and the actors/actresses in the film, and (2) I had no idea what the heck was going on in the movie.

First, the good. This guy (Kar Wai Wong) is a visionary as a director. He has a stunning eye, and I was totally in love with the visuals in the movie after the first five minutes. I did watch the commentary features where they discussed that when the film was debuted at Cannes the special effects were not even completed, but the simple lines attracted Mr. Wong's eye and changes were made to incorporate more of this linear style for the final version of the film. This is a film to be savored simply for its world construct, both present, past, and future.

Secondly, the bad. The plot was difficult to follow, and it will take multiple viewing to sort some of it out. I first assumed the movie was set in the year 2046, and Tony Leung as Chow Mo Wan wanted to escape the boring present of that age by going back in time to the late 1960s. Then I read that, no, the world of 2046 was actually just a science fiction story that the characters may or may not appear in, but definitely female androids/robots did exist (deliciously beautiful, I might add). People come and go, a murder may or may not have happened, Tony Leung may be Chinese or he may morph into a Japanese character in 2046. Additionally, the protagonist and/or his love interests tend to stay in hotels in rooms 2046 or 2047. There's a woman who may be missing a hand, or maybe not, but either brings good luck, cheats, or has terrible luck herself. Whew!

Now, for the ugly. Well, in a film this sumptuous, there really isn't any ugly at all. There is a mysterious symbol that appears occasionally, sort of a big flower or fungus with perhaps a hole in the middle that one can peep through (there's a lot of spying going on in the film); maybe that's a bit odd, but not ugly.

One last thing: kudos for the music in this film. I'd love to have the soundtrack, as it wanders from original music to opera to classical to jazz to traditional tunes. The atmosphere of the film would be diminished significantly without this score.

There are several bonus features in the film including interviews with Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi, who plays the daughter of the hotel manager. Those interviews helped explain the movie to me a bit. There are also deleted scenes and an alternate ending which don't help clarify anything.

I recommend this movie for those who love beautiful movies, and are not put off by the non-linear plot. I enjoyed it, but for good or ill, it will take multiple viewings to make sense of the plot. December 23, 2007

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