ITMFL

Sorry for the lack of posts...I'm lazy.

In the Mood for Love

In the Mood for Love is my favorite Wong Kar Wai film and one of my favorite films of all time.

A lot of the times with Wong Kar Wai films, I feel like I'm just watching his films for aesthetic purposely. The images are hypnotic, voluptuous, and sumptuous. Every frame can be a still photos hung in the MoMA and/or the Guggenheim. But sometimes the stories themselves are not nearly as spellbinding probably because the stories get lost in the pace of the films. One such example is probably Happy Together; I just felt the same scenes and events kept repeating which stalled the film from progressing. But ITMFL is not one of these Wong Kar Wai films.

ITMFL has a moving story line: Two neighbors, played by Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, both have unfaithful spouses who go on frequent business trips. Being left alone, the two builds a strong and dignified platonic relationship even though romantic feelings broods beneath the surface. The reason for their platonic love is that they do not want to become hypocrites, like their spouses. They provide company to each other, eat together, and even help one another with their jobs.

In addition to this story line, the film is made even more beautiful with the visuals. Maggie Cheung changes her outfits, which is always a cheongsam, every few minutes throughout the film to signify the passage of time but also the repetitive continuation of her daily life. For example, within a five minute segment, she might wear a white cheongsam in the morning then a red cheongsam at night. Even though not much time has passed, the second half of the segment might have taken place a day after or a week after the first half which explains the change in outfits.

The most memorable moments of this masterpiece are when Cheung descend down a dimly lit stair to buy dinner while crossing path with Leung. This event is repeated two to three times in the film all with different variations and speeds. One night, she walks in the rain to buy dinner. One night, she walks by and greets Leung. One night, she misses Leung just by a few moments. Wong adds even more sexual tension and emotions by slowing down the time of one of these sections.

Music, of course, is another key element of Wong's film. Shigeru Umebayashi's Yumeij's Theme is used liberally throughout the film and I cannot get enough of it. The mood and tempo are completely in line with the feel and pace of the film.

ITMFL is so exquisite but with the perfect balance of somberness, tension, and happiness. The story is bittersweet, and the aesthetic is beyond what any other films that I have watched have achieved.

Eros

Eros is a portmanteau film from three international auteurs: Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderbergh, and Michelangelo Antonioni. The term auteur applies to Wong ever so well. As the title suggests, the film is about love, lust, and whatever that comes in between. Oh, and as a warning to save your time, Wong's short film is the only one of the three worth watching. (I skimmed through the latter two.)

Wong's feature in the film is title The Hand starring Gong Li and Chang Chen. The story is about a young, working class man who has an unrelenting love for an older, sexually-matured social climber/gold digger/prostitute. At times, Chang Chen appears extremely naive knowing that Gong Li will never love Chang Chen back the same way. However, this is what makes the story so beautiful. When Gong Li becomes broke and has no money to pay for her growing tab at the tailor, Gong Li tells Chang Chen to sell some of her cheongsam. Chang Chen takes them but keeps them safely for her eventual return.

In addition to the heartfelt storyline, the cinematography is perfect. Many scenes are dimmed lit with one light source like Caravaggio's paintings. Close up shots show the beautiful laced details of cheongsam. I thought The Hand is darker, not only in the lighting but also in the mood, than most of Wong's films.

About the title--there are many segments within the film that makes its title appropriate. First of all, Chang Chen is a seamster who uses his hands to make clothes. In the beginning of the film, Chang Chen is just a young apprentice at a clothier delivering cheongsam to Gong Li's residence. During this visit, Gong Li erotically feels Chang Chen's crotch--a scene where the element of hand is beautifully featured. The penultimate scene intensely portrays the hand as an emotional, bewitching object.

My Blueberry Nights

My Blueberry Nights is the last film of my Wong Kar Wai marathon, at least for right now. After watching Happy Together, Chungking Express, Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046, MBN is a great ending point to the seemingly endless marathon. MBN is a refreshing and energized film that's quite different from the other Wong's films in terms of the aesthetics. The beautiful photographic qualities of each scene is signature of Wong, but the neon and bright colors of this film is new and provide a new brust of life to Wong's filmography. The cafe that Jeremy, played by Jude Law, owns is tainted with a cold, depressing blue reminiscent of Picasso's Blue Period pieces. The bar that Elizabeth, Norah Jones' role, works at in Memphis is colored mainly by red lights reminiscent of a photo dark room or the Red Light District. This is where alcohol drowns sorrow and where the drama happens between Arnie, played by David Strathairn, and Sue Lynne, played by Rachael Weisz.

Throughout the film, I wanted to learn more about the characters. We never get to see how their relationships started and ended and we never truly get a peek into their private lives. Everything takes place in the cafe, bar, casino, or some other public space. Wong further added to this mystery by filming through windows that have writings over them. This technique, which I really liked, sets our perceptive as outsiders. Another technique used in the film that I thought that added quirkiness to the film were the periodic chapter cards that documents how many days it has been since the Jeremy and Elizabeth met and how far Elizabeth has traveled from NY.

Natalie Portman also has a great role in MBN as Leslie, a gambler who teaches Elizabeth some new things about life. I think, because of Leslie, Elizabeth was able to grow stronger during her road trip. With these eclectic mix of five actors and actresses, it was a nice surprise to see the great chemistry that existed. It was a bit strange, but I think the mix worked well.

Needless to say, the soundtrack of the film is fantastic. Yumeij's Theme which is also used in ITMFL can also be heard in MBN but in a jazzy/blues version. Norah Jones' My Story really should be included in her next album. The most memorable song is perhaps Cat Power's The Greatest which is repeated several times throughout the film and used in the trailer above.

While most critics agree that the film is not so good, but I personally really like it. I thought it was refreshing to watch a Wong film that is young, light, and somewhat happy. At times, as always with Wong films, the film felt like a medicine that you have to take because the pace is slow and dragged out. But every frame is so beautiful and luscious as if they belong in museums as both still and moving images. If there were a coffee table book of MBN stills, I would absolutely buy it.