2046 (Wong Kar-Wai)

I finally got to see it, Wong Kar-Wai's latest, that can easily be described as the sequel to In the Mood for Love: Tony Leung returns from Singapore back to Hong Kong, and speaks of his many relationships with women. The female cast is composed of the best actresses China has to offer these days (Li Gong, Zhang Ziyi, Faye Wong) and they're all in (some sort of) love. In the meanwhile he writes his novel entitled "2046"... I could go on about this for several pages more, but it would contain too many spoilers.

The similarities and references to Wong's other work are quite subtle, yet apparent, such as the act of taking off the shoes of a drunk woman that fell asleep on the bed, for instance. The magnificent use of colours, camera perspectives and overall imagery hasn't changed at all, making this sensuous picture an evenly tantalizing feast for both mind and heart as its predecessors.

But I believe it is the first time he really makes spoken conclusions about how relationships and love work. This movie is ultimately about how love, too, is dependent on the time where and the place when it sparks and evolves. Some statements coming from Tony Leung's voice over were very clear: "There is no such thing as an eternal love" or "In love, it's all about timing"... Time plays a great role in this picture, as does it in our love lives. We look into the future that is 2046, but we long for the past that is 2046. Watch this!

2046, WongKarWai