Did you know that there is a science fiction sequel to Wong Kar-wai’s “In the Mood For Love”?

The intoxicating romance of a Wong Kar-wai Films are something special. In the mood for love is rightly hailed as one of the best romance films of all time, but people who haven’t looked closely at Kar-wai’s filmography may not know that it is actually the middle chapter of a loosely connected trilogy. Wong Kar-wai began his second directorial film in 1990, which many have referred to as his “love trilogy.” Days of the WildernessAfter ten years he came back for In the mood for lovethe timeless, infinitely beautiful film about unspoken love with Tony Leung And Maggie Cheung. In 2004, In the mood for love with the last installment, 2046.

While Days of the Wilderness And In the mood for love have only a loose connection, 2046 serves as a continuation of both and combines all stories in a sophisticated, comprehensive anthology which also contains elements of hard science fiction. It is one of the strangest twists in Kar-wai’s filmography, but ultimately one of his best films. 2046 builds on all the stylistic and thematic foundations of Kar-wai’s best films and develops the story of In the mood for love in an unexpected way.

2046

In a technologically advanced city, a man writes a futuristic novel about a place where people travel to recover lost memories. His fictional work intersects with his personal search for unrequited love, blurring the lines between reality and fiction as he tries to come to terms with his romantic past.

Release date

29 September 2004

director

Kar Wai Wong

Pour

Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Li Gong, Faye Wong, Takuya Kimura, Ziyi Zhang, Carina Lau

Duration

129 minutes

What connections are there in Wong Kar-wai’s “love trilogy”?

Days of the Wilderness is the first film in the “Love Trilogy”, a criminal love story that has only a very loose connection to In the mood for love. In the final scene, a mysterious player wakes up and gets ready for the day. This stranger is played by Leung and is actually Chow, the main character from In the mood for love. 2046 follows the middle film more directly, as the film takes its name from the Room number of the hotel that Chow and Su sharedThis theme follows Chow throughout his life, up until the episode where he struggles to let Su go. Chow is now a womanizer who misbehaves to avoid thinking about the pain that comes with the end of this relationship.

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In 2046Chow experiences a series of personal and professional problems. The turning points of his life are marked by the comings and goings of a series of women with whom he spends time. He meets many women throughout the film, including Lulu, played by the well-known Hong Kong actress and real-life wife of Leung. Carina Lauback in her role Days of the Wilderness. In addition, two of the greatest actresses of this era of Hong Kong cinema are included, Gong-Li And Zhang Ziyiare part of the cast whose path crosses with Chow. While Leung appears to be the main character, Lau, Ziyi and Li make the film special with their multi-layered performances.

The relationships Chow builds are all shaped by his longing for Su. Maggie Cheung’s absence throughout most of the film is noted, and we eventually get a brief sequence where Su returns in a sequence that is something between a dream and a flashback. The entire film has a dreamy aesthetic, and the non-chronological structure allows for many events in the film to be rearranged or understood both figuratively and literally.

“2046” is Wong Kar-wai’s most ambitious film

Wong Kar-wai has mainly limited himself to romantic films, which often also include crime stories. His films are grounded, deeply emotional, and emphasize how proximity and timing influence how and who we love. He has made a few films that break this pattern, but 2046 takes things to the next level with its science fiction sequences. While 2046 While not exactly a science fiction film at its core, it does contain several extended interludes with passages from Chow’s science fiction story. These moments occur at key turning points in Chow’s journey and reflect how the themes and content of his writing are directly shaped by his own experiences. The science fiction scenes are short, but vivid and beautiful. It is clear that Kar-wai could make a visionary feature film if he ever fully committed to a science fiction film.

2046 is one of only two of his films that last over two hours and span four different chronologies all of which intersect at various points. It’s a massive, unabashedly complex film that stands on its own, but is even stronger when you consider the context of the previous two films. Leung brings new depth to the character of Chow, showing how his pain and regret have made him a complicated, imperfect person.

While the science fiction sections from the story within the story of 2046they are presented in a way that can be taken at face value. They play into Chow’s development as a character and show a great performance by Faye Wongwho returns to the world of Wong Kar-wai after her outstanding performance in Chungking Express. Wong’s involvement, the reunion of her and Leung on screen after Chungking Express, together with all the direct connections to the other two films of the “love trilogy”, 2046a comprehensive grab bag with all the recurring characters, themes and locations of Kar-waiThe film brings together everything he has been recognized for in his work in a package that is structurally and stylistically more daring than anything he has done before.

While In the mood for love remains his most acclaimed film, and the timeless nature of romance, fashion and cinematography will ensure that the film lives on in cinema history, 2046 should not be missing from any discussion about the legendary director’s best films. 2046 is a thrilling, romantic journey into the heart of a character whose story spans two decades.

2046 can be streamed on Tubi in the US

Watch on Tubi