Rating: 3.5/5
Following the events of In the Mood For Love, Chow Mo-Wan is a playboy who wants to relive the past experiences he had in room 2046 — the number itself becomes a destination where memories never change, and he begins drafting a science fiction story about a long train going to 2046, and he’s on the way back
But the room is not available, although 2047 is. At first, Mo-Wan is reluctant, but he agrees to take it. As a result, he can only overhear or catch a glimpse of that space
Over the years, he meets the women who move into 2046, forming relationships with them but finding himself incapable of letting them mean anything. In his story analog, they are pleasure androids with whom the customer is forbidden to fall in love
The film is full of beautiful cinematography, costumes, and makeup — similar to In the Mood for Love, the soundtrack revolves around one succinct theme
I haven’t seen Days of Being Wild, the first part of the loose trilogy alongside In the Mood for Love and this, but I can say that In the Mood for Love exists on its own without any stray pieces
While this has a few transcendent moments, it still feels more like an epilogue or partner film rather than something that can exist on its own — several moments are mirrors of the prior film
Also, the sci-fi aspect is underdeveloped and underutilized — thematically, that makes sense, but as a viewer, it is frustrating to move away from the arresting images of his story to the shadowy ephemera of his life
Still, there is a lot to love in this — as in other Wong Kar-wai films, I can honestly say that this movie has images that I haven’t seen in anything else — I just felt like I was getting a puzzle piece instead of a whole picture