2046 (2004)

As Christmas is approaching, I thought it'd be nice to watch some Christmas foreign language movies too and 2046 popped out somewhere on a list. Spoiler alert, it's not a Christmas movie. 

The film revolves around Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), a science-fiction novelist and womanizer who writes about a place called 2046 where people go to recapture their lost memories (a part of the story takes place in this fictional world), and his numerous relationship with women and the lessons he has learned from them.

It's a non-linear story that jumps back and forth between different timelines. Some may find that annoying. I personally loved it and I found that this type of narrative was one of the few good things about the film. In a story like this, a linear storytelling would have probably made the film look like some cheap soap opera which is, of course, something to avoid.

It's this kind of narrative that got me to the end of the movie and kept me interested from start to finish. Kinda. Because the film moves incredibly slowly, it feels like it's dragged on forever and I got bored. Really bored. 

Mei Ah Entertainment

Another problem with Wong Kar-Wai's film was the main character. When I watch a movie, I want to connect with their characters, or at least with the main character, but it didn't happen. It was easy to identify with the characters, both the male lead and the female characters, but I wasn't able to connect with them, I was uninvolved. Probably because they were dull.

Maybe I'm not smart intellectual enough to understand the film. Anyway, there was something I absolutely loved about it and made the watch not a waste of time. I'm talking about the cinematography and the music. 2046 is simply gorgeous to look at. It's got texture. Every single shot is a work of art. The colours are rich and deep, especially the reds and greens. The costumes, makeup, hairstyles, it's all stunning. And the music, oh boy, the music. The score by Peer Raben and Shigeru Umebayashi (and some Maria Callas) is beautiful, to say the least, and fits the film to perfection.