For the Lunar New Year, I watched a trio of Hong Kong films by Wong Kar-wai over the weekend.
Days of Being Wild (1990) -
A man tries to find out who his real mother is after the woman who raised him tells him the truth.
Atmospheric and dreamlike, it's great to watch after-hours when most of the movie takes place. The skeletal plot, about the different characters' late night journeys occasionally intersecting, didn't resonate with me as much.
7/10
In the Mood for Love (2000) -
Two neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.
This is one of the most beautiful looking movies I've ever seen--from the way the characters are dressed to how each shot is framed. Additionally, the understated longing and desire between the protagonists is excellently handled--romance and heartbreak at its finest. No wonder it's considered by critics to be one of the greatest films ever made.
10/10
2046 (2004) -
Several women enter a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years, after the author has lost the woman he considers his one true love.
In contrast to the previous film's wonderful simplicity, the sequel to
In the Mood for Love alternates between the present and fictional sci-fi passages with time jumps thrown in too. Perhaps there's some overreach in its scope with even appearances by characters from
Days of Being Wild, but it's still a good attempt at closing the tale of a broken man.
8/10