2046

First the history: Hong Kong was given back to China by the British in 1996 but was decided that nothing would change for 50 years -- until the year 2046.Now the movie. To me, "2046" is a metaphor for how the Chinese in Hong Kong would be feeling in the year 2046 when they will be fully under Chinese rule. Some who can't or won't accept change will ask why can't things go back to the way it was before, while others will embrace what the future holds. Something like that. Remember the owner telling Chow to stay in 2047 for a while and move to 2046 when the room was ready? Chow later says that he got used to 2047 and decided to stay.The characters are culled from 2 previous WKW movies that loosely form this trilogy. Carina Lau is Lulu from "Days of Being Wild". Tony Leung also from that movie but only in the very last minute of the film, and of course, he was in "In the Mood for Love". He not only gets to act with his beautiful real-life girlfriend, Carina, but his other female co-stars are also legendary beauties in Asian cinema. Maggie Cheung/Su Lichen is only in a dream sequence, Faye Wong/owner's daughter (this is only her second WKW film) whom Chow has grown affection for, but willing to let her (HK) go, Zhang Ziyi/Bai Ling (a new addition to WKW's stable of muses) who loves Chow (HK) unconditionally whatever his flaws, and Gong Li/Black Spider who wants to go with him but is stuck in the past.The film is presented in 3 viewpoints: the present "real life" in which Chow is the womanizer who can't be pinned down because of how much he still loves Su Lichen in ITMFL and she is the yardstick by which all future relationships are measured. The futuristic scenes are when he is writing his sci-fi novel and his "real life" people and experiences work their way into the novel. Also, when he can't deal with real life, he goes to his novel and integrates recent real life events into the novel to help make sense of it all. Then there is the one or two dream sequences for when he is narrating his thoughts to us, the viewer.I'm sure this is only the surface of the many layers this wonderful movie has to explore. I look forward to "getting" more of it with each new viewing.p.s. after reading others' reviews, I must add that the room in this movie is not the same as in ITMFL, but it does have the same room number which, when it gets his attention, Chow is transported back to the remembrance of the love of his life.

From top to bottom, 2046 is original and creative as it gets.When I first saw 2046 on Starz, I thought Mr. Chow was your typical womanizer who eventually found that being so was not worth a thing and decided to kick the habit and move on in the end. But (as implied on the Wikipedia article on the film) it turned out that moving on was whole point of the story! Chow is trying to compensate for the woman he let get away (from IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE); the three women in the story just happen to show up along the way.Talk about an extensive look at the process of moving on with your life, and how difficult it often is. The novel Mr. Chow is writing (the story within the story) shows that leaving the past behind and reflecting on it is like a long train ride to parts unknown. Rather, parts known but yet unknown. Unlike a typical [Western] romance story, the narrative is not stalled. The leading man does not spend all film long feeling sorry himself; rather he's thinking more closely and noticing. And aside from Mr. Chow's part, life goes on whether he's in sync with it or not. Plus, each of the three women have storylines that deserve feature-length tellings of their own. Same can be said and done with Chow's novel character and the androids he meets.Plus, I can relate to it, in a sense. I'm still moving on after having various people leave my life--people I thought I wanted in my life but no longer do. (Nothing romantic, just social).Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, and Gong Li--to name a few--knock it out of the park. Wong Kar Wai does the same with how he decided to follow up IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE and DAYS OF LIVING WILD (the latter of which I have yet to see).In fact, 2046 is undoubtably a true "before-during-and-after-love" story, compared to any film with the standards set by CAN'T BUY ME LOVE, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL.Don't expect this one to wear out anytime soon or later on. 2046 is too much a classic for that. And it being a period piece helps the fact that it applies to generations past and present.

From what I understand the prequel, In the Mood for Love, had people more than eager for this loose sequel to be released. With it's success, the mere notion of a sequel had people exited and eager to know how you could possibly follow through with such a complete story. The problem seemed that no matter how good the movie was it would never be as good as people were expecting it to be, so when the director didn't try to make a better movie than the one that came before, rather, he seemed to have just made the movie he wanted to make, and from what I understand people didn't like what they were given.Because the director decided to just make a good movie rather than trying to make a movie that exceeded expectations I've seen reviews where they call this movie pretentious, an inferior sequel, uninteresting, and a long list of other words that diminish and put the film down. I think he made the best decision for the film. I never wound any of the negative things said about the film to have any basis nor do I see it in the film.This is a beautiful story that deserves better. An adult film for adults and not for people who can't stand movies without bullets or explosions and lack the maturity to appreciate films driven by dialogue because they are to childish to get trough a movie where 'people just talk.'

A thoroughly good watch. I like the films of Tony Leung, Chungking Express being the best. If you liked that one you'll like this. The visuala are quite stunning, the plot line confusing at times and there are bleak bits but the overall effect is uplifting. I don't think Leung's films are really great films up there with the best. But life would be sadder without them. For instance, I love Bach, Schubert, Bob Dylan and Lous Reed but for some reason I am still open to be charmed by Abba, if you get the drift. Leung is Abba-esque as regards film.

The first disc was enchanting, so different from the western style. Once I got into the 'mood' of the story it held my attention. The second disc was very different to the first, too explicit in comparison, it didn't have the emotional depth and was too involved with the physical. I was bored with it, I think because it lacked a story line.

This is an enigmatic film, a visual and cinematographic feast, as the hero, a science-fiction writer, tries to overcome a broken heart with a story about a train that travels through time to 2046. The women he loves and lost and their stories are woven together in a masterful piece of cinema. Recommended

a follow-up to In The Mood For Love, but it's not strictly speaking a sequel, you can enjoy it on its own. A spectacular film in the truest sense, with an excellent soundtrack. If you think you've seen love stories before, think again. Breath-taking work by Wong Kar Wai...

This is an amazing film, that gets better with each repeated viewing. "2046" is a hotel room number, which for the hero, Chow, encapsulates his lost love, as it unfolded in the prequel to this movie, "In the Mood for Love." Here, "2046" also becomes a year to which one can travel by a time-machine type of train, a year in which it is believed people can recapture their lost memories. The film consists of the hero, who has loved and lost, going through a series of encounters with women, who in their turn have loved and lost. Throughout his series of experiences with women, he is in fact only looking for his lost love, Su Lizhen, but he can never refind her.This is a rough, simplified plot synopsis, but the movie is much more complex than this, and it requires repeated viewings to enhance understanding. The repeated viewings are extremely rewarding, as this film is one of those art objects from which the viewer can draw new insights with each reexperiencing of it.The cinematography is beautiful, and the musical score is absolutely superb and moving, underscoring the emotions felt by the characters. The music is designed to enhance our experience of each scene and to intensify emotion. Granted, the film is not an easy one to follow. Personally, I felt confused at times, especially on a first viewing. But at such moments you can just let yourself go with the emotion carried through image and sound."2046" rewards us with a beautiful and talented cast. I really enjoyed watching all the actresses that paraded on screen, among them Zhang Ziyi, of "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon," Gong Li, Carina Lau, Faye Wong and Maggie Cheung, all of them giving superb performances.As other reviewers have noted, it is not mandatory to see the prequel "In the Mood for Love" to understand "2046," but it is well worth it, as there are many symbols from the previous film repeated in this one, and a scene where Su Lizhen reappears in Chow's memory. Personally, I liked "2046" better.Finally, I have to add that this film, though from my point of view amazing, is certainly not for everyone. If you prefer a straightforward storyline and a plot where things are happening all the time, then this film is not for you. This film emphasizes emotional experience at the expense of plot. As long as you come prepared for this, and with the right expectations, it is a great film, very rewarding and very worthy of repeated viewings.