Movie Review: 2046

After two years of waiting to watch 2046 ( i had submitted my photo during their open casting call, in hopes of launching my HK movie career - they never called ), I finally stuck in my netflix copy late Sunday night. It's noted as a sequel to in the mood for love.. But it definitely doesn't put you in the mood for love. Instead the movie explores the devastation of love. The main character weaves through relationship after relationship, tangled in lust and haunted by a better relationship that he once had (the semi-relationship from in the Mood for Love).

It's a depressing movie, because there's never a happy moment in the movie. The main character chooses to abandon things (mostly woman) that make him content. He seems to find himself in these difficult situations where he can't win and can't lose. He is however, able to find these situations inspirational for his sci-fi novel, 2046 (an apartment number, and the title of his novel).

Despite the sad theme, the movie is quite memorable in my mind mostly because of the Christopher Doyle branded cinematography that I've come to know and love. He also worked with Wong Kar Wai in most of his other films (ChungKing Express, in the mood for love, Fallen Angels). He also did the exquisite color work found in Hero.

All in all I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. The movie is rather slow, but the vivid images fill in the time, so you don't realize that the plot is circular - It doesn't really end when the movie actually ends.