board77

After a lot of thought I have to conclude that this was a very beautiful movie about a very stupid man.

Maybe he didn't have Rhett's hairdo and mustache by accident.

Man walks through life writing confusing, neverending novel about futuristic, neverending train trip. He makes women cry by being too philosophical, and takes pleasure in rejecting simple happiness.

Moral of the story: don't think too much.

The London critics have raved about this film and I've been trying to see it for about six weeks, but the times after work are no good ... because of course it's only showing in London cinemas.

I went to see 'In the Mood for Love' because the critics raved and I didn't like it that much.

I'm a simple soul. I like strong storylines. I like strong stories, in books and films. 'In the Mood' was very atmospheric but to be honest it was like watching paint dry. I came out disgruntled and disatisfied and disliking critics who go overboard on arty-farty films.

Not that I can't appreciate contemplative cinema. I saw a beautiful Korean film last year called 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ... and Spring' and enjoyed it very much. But you see, it had a very simple but effective storyline, with a satisfying conclusion.

Hmmm. Perhaps I'll give this one a miss after all.

If you want storyline...maybe you should skip this one. Although...no, I would lie to say it didn't have story, but I would also lie to say it was more important than the atmosphere. 2046 has this man (whose name we never find out...I just realised that ) at the centre, and stories that involve women revolve around him. He holds the whole film together. The stories are vague but they're fun to piece together, as they're not always told chronologically. It's very nicely edited, and sometimes a pretty shot from the beginning makes twice as much sense at the end of the film. It's nice to go 'ooooh.'

But there is also a lot of loaded metaphor. It doesn't make the film boring but it does make me frustrated with the main character. He goes off into fantasy musings and tries to shape his life around smooth moves instead of feeling...


edit: I have to admit I knew a moment of fear when the guy who introduced this movie said that when the distributor bought it years ago, it was supposed to be an entirely different film, but that it evolved since, and that it never had a script, and that no one really knew whether Wong Kar Wai would finish editing it in time for the festivals... my friend whispered to me that we should expect Wong kar Wai to rush in at any moment screaming 'No, wait, no, I need to make some changes!'

I loved it despite some cheesy scenes. It really is a deeper, and structurally more complex, exploration of themes that were already there in In the Mood for love. It is a flawed film, but which contains some moments of freedom and visual splendor which somehow redeem everything. It should please anyone who likes Proust (the film shares similar themes with Remembrance of things past).