2046 (***)
review by Jon
Waterman
Mr. Chow is back. After the events of “In
the Mood For Love” left him embittered, he began a life of decadence
and womanizing. His days consist of writing articles for various
magazines and creating all kinds of pulp fiction. His nights
consist of making each new girl he meets his latest conquest.
Enter Bai Ling, his neighbor across the hall. She is the most
difficult challenge he’s encountered so far, but Mr.
Chow is determined to break her. Both of them cautious and
aware yet seem oblivious to what they really might mean to
each other.
Even though it’s a sequel, it’s a pretty far departure
from the first film. The cinematography still has some of the
cryptic compositions, but this time it’s much more vibrant
and, in my opinion, lively. It focuses more on the characters.
However the set pieces look incredible and allow you to become
fully immersed in the story much easier. That’s definitely
a good thing, because the movie’s tempo doesn’t
play through any faster and the running time has extended about
thirty minutes over “In
the Mood.” The story isn’t
more linear, but it’s less of a dotted line structure.
The acting is still really good this time around, too. But
what really sets it apart is the secondary thread.
The film has part of one of Chow’s stories built into
it. It’s about a futuristic train that takes people to
and from a mysterious place where you can recapture your lost
memories. His alter ego is the only one to ever return from
that place, and he tries to relate to the female robots he
encounters on the ride. This scenario essentially bookends
the movie. I would have loved to see it weaved within the normal
narrative more frequently. I also would have liked it better
if it didn’t force feed everything to you. There’s
no room to figure out anything on your own (not like it would
be very hard to anyway), because the narrative beats it into
your head several times. Maybe adding some of his other stories
into the mix would have helped too. Place him in the detective
or samurai settings and draw those parallels as well.
So, although the movie is an improvement, it’s hardly
spectacular or awe-inspiring cinema. If you can handle the
length and aren’t expecting an overly deep movie (the
symbolism is obvious and overdone), you should have a good
time. This is beautiful filmmaking that doesn’t quite
have the support of the narrative.
respond to jon@filmbrats.com
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