2046

What a movie! I've been waiting for this movie in the last six or so years. Talk about a long wait.

My first discovery was through a friend. She told me about it at around 2000. Back then we were still in grade 11. She wrote me an email with a list of the actors playing 2046. I still kept the email! Reading the name of the actors got me so excited. Gong Li, Faye Wong, Ziyi Zhang, Maggie Cheung. There's also a japanese actor. I wondered how it's going to work out. Chinese and japanese actors in one movie. What language would be used? Little did I know about Wong Kar Wai, the director. He's a highly acclaimed director, with a distinct style in film making. Nevertheless, I knew nothing of that then. All I knew was 2046, a movie with star caliber actors.

At that time the movie was probably just in the beginning stages of its production. Then it took them four years to finish! What took them so long? All the years I didn't forget about it. I saw the trailer, which made me more curious and intrigued.

I was finally able to watch it on dvd just a few days ago. After all these years, was the excitement worth it?

The first time I saw it was at night, past my bedtime actually. Truthfully, I slept through it. This kind of movie needs your full concentration. You have to read the subtitles, and the storyline isn't the easiest to follow. It jumps through different time frame frequently. Well, I guess the movie didn't excite me as much as I had anticipated to be able to keep me awake.

I realized immediately that the trailer was so misleading. The distinction between the present and future was quite clear. I thought there's some time travel associated with the storyline. That's what the trailer implied. The time travel was in fact in Tony Leung character's mind.

The next morning I saw it again. This time I was able to enjoy the movie, from start to finish. Enjoying the movie is not quite the way to describe the experience. Wong Kar Wai is definitely a talented movie maker. Unique. Confusing for a first time viewer. He's very conceptual. After watching the behind the scenes, listening to the director and actors explaining about the movie, I was able to understand it better. You see, this movie is a summary of his past works. So he included characters from his previous movies. He made changes to their personalities. Still, knowledge of his past works might have helped me appreciate the movie the first time I saw it.

Don't get me wrong. The acting definitely impressed me. I was transfixed by Ziyi Zhang's performance. Her little dance as she was getting ready for the night, accompanied by the spanish song, was one of my favorite scenes. Faye Wong's pacing through the room repeating japanese phrases was also a great scene. Maggie Cheung is the pretty perfect woman. Gong Li is the beautiful mysterious lover. They're all so great in portraying their characters. Each with their own personal hidden emotional struggles. I got to see what I was looking forward to.

The movie used a mix of mandarin, cantonese, and japanese dialogues. It took me a while to get used to. Is it common for chinese movies? I wonder if it actually happens in real life, where one person talks mandarin while the other replies in cantonese. As for me, I just read the subtitles throughout the movie. It still felt weird. Is it implied that they understand each other perfectly although they were talking in their own language? That would be so convenient in real life. You don't have to be bothered to learn different languages. Everybody understands everybody, talking in their own tongue. Not realistic, I know. It's just a thought.

Wong Kar Wai is best in capturing the complex personalities of his characters. That's the focus in 2046. Each character has so much depth. The relationships between Tony Leung's character and the other leading ladies are the driving force of the movie. To love and to be loved. It's a complicated love story. Does it end with a happy ending? I can't say ...