2046 (2004)
The running joke among Wong kar-Wai fans was that it would be 2046 before we’d see 2046.
That of course turned out to be an exaggeration, but after four years in the making (and another year or so delay to get to these shores), the sentiment is well understood.
To say–using a shopworn platitude–that it was worth the wait would be misleading; that would imply that we had any idea what we were waiting for. One of the more exciting things about Wong is his ability to be somewhat unpredictable, even when he more frequently limits himself in time (the 1960s), location (Hong Kong), and overall theme (love, especially the thwarted sort) than many filmmakers who are much less interesting.
One surprise in 2046 is its sci-fi subplot, taken from a novel written here by our main character, Chow, who returns, leaner and much meaner than he was in In the Mood for Love. It was a much publicized device that Chow would be returning, and that the events here would be chronologically after In the Mood, but this film is decidedly not a sequel. Not, at least, in the sense of the Matrix sequels or the Indiana Jones films, or the countless appearances of Jaws, to name a few contrasting examples.
No, this film, more so, is the moral aftermath of In the Mood. Chow’s womanizing, callousness, indifference are all the natural, organic result of In the Mood for Love’s wistful ending. On that note, and taken together, we can regard this cycle as plausible a rendering of romantic love on screen as we’ve seen in a very long time.
Another thing about Wong that gets (many) people grabbing for adjectives and hyperbole (“the world’s most romantic filmmaker”) is his sense of the cinematic. His films aren’t just truthful documents of humanity the way Cassavetes’s films were, but his are also infused in their very form with the subject itself. His stories are told (in as much as they are told at all) through the sounds and images, through the structure itself. It is refreshing to see films embrace the form of cinema so wholly. Most directors are content with superficially worded scripts and actorly performances; content, that is, to tell their stories, rather than allow them to inhabit the screen. This may be his paradox, and a key to the excitement for his films. His films in their narrative structures are more novelistic than typically cinematic; he dispenses with clear arcs of story and character, with the expository dialogue and scenes that help to guide us through clearly and safely. That is also one of the chief criticisms of his films: they are too–this tack goes–inexact, too ambiguous.
2046, more than any of his previous films, moves like a novel. Its structure and plotting is probably going to alienate some people, who are now accustomed to a more narrow way of delivering narrative. But for those with the patience, the film rewards multiple viewings. It also has much of the range and complexity of a novel, and if that ultimately makes for a film that is at times baffling and overstuffed, it is still to our greater benefit as an audience to have it, warts and all.
I’ve decidedly not said anything very concrete about 2046 here. My motivation is this: if you are already partial to this director, there is much here to delight and enchant you. If you are not, there isn’t a better way I know to convert than simple exposure. Trying to translate these delights into words undermines them, does them unspeakable violence.
I can think of no higher praise to give a film than that.
HDFEST RATING:
Overall: A+
Acting: A+
Originality: A+
Enjoyability: A+
DVD DETAILS:
The DVD is good, has a clean transfer and the usually expected features. A Criterion prestige treatment might be in order for this one. Much more so, at least, than for The Rock or Armageddon.
|
