2046 2046

The opening scene of 2046 is a nod to the final scene of In the Mood for Love (2000), in which Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) confesses his feelings through a hole in Angkor Wat. The two films were actually shot at the same time, and Wong Kar-wai has even said that they should be treated as one film.

In 1966, Chow Mo-wan returns to Hong Kong from Singapore to begin his career as a writer, and, by chance, he moves into room 2047. The first story follows Lulu (Carina Lau Ka-ling), a woman he meets in a nightclub. The film then follows his relationship with Miss Wang (Faye Wong), the landlord’s eldest daughter, and then with Bai Ling (Zhang Ziyi), a courtesan who lives in room 2046. The final story focuses on a love affair between Chow and Su Li-zhen (Gong Li), a professional gambler, which takes place in the beginning of the film.

In this film, Wong Kar Wai not only pushes the envelope in terms of visual effects (1:2.33 widescreen) and musical arrangements (different variations and dance melodies), but he also enlisted the help of a French special effects company to create a low-tech futuristic world. As the conclusion of his Love Trilogy, 2046 is Wong Kar Wai’s magnum opus and even references the likes of Chungking Express (1994) and Happy Together (1997).

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