2046 (2004)

Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Stars: Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang, Faye Wong
Runtime: 129 minutes

Synopsis: 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.

Verdict: Revered filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai is one of the most respected and beloved figures within the film community. The unconventional, almost rebellious techniques he has used to tell stories revolving around the themes of relationships, memories, and loneliness continue to inspire many directors to this day, earning him a spot on the Mount Rushmore of auteurs whose features are englobed by a distinct personality. It’s difficult not to admire what Wong Kar-Wai has offered to the medium of cinema even if, like me, his movies don’t resonate with you as much as you’d like them to.

“2046” is the third and final chapter in Wong Kar-Wai’s unofficial Love Trilogy, preceded by “Days of Being Wild” and “In the Mood for Love”, and sees Tony Leung return as Mr. Chow to write a novel loosely inspired by romantic encounters he’s had over the years. It’s a film that blurs the line between fiction and reality, one that almost comes across as a love letter to the sci-fi genre.

Conceptually, the idea of merging these two opposites sounds intriguing, but I was once again taken aback by Wong’s convoluted structure that jumps around between various segments and timelines. It’s a decision that turns what should be a straightforward narrative into a maze in which the audience is stuck in a loop. The repetitive music and editing techniques didn’t help its case either, as they contributed to slowing down the film’s pace by stopping it from reinventing itself.

Wong is a director whose filmography is one I desperately want to get into, but nearly always fall short in doing so for the exact same reasons. I don’t want to throw in the towel just yet because I can feel that there’s something about his movies that I find to be extremely appealing, and I’m still waiting to finally watch the movie that will shine a light on that mysterious attribute.

FINAL GRADE: 6/10