by SARAH ROWLAND

Filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai faced a massive number of obstacles in order to get his latest film, 2046, finished. There were reported firings, cast changes, a set shutdown (due to the SARS scares) and a bumpy Cannes festival premiere in 2004. What the final cut of 2046 indicates—to me, anyway—is that this film remains a work in progress. And believe it or not, that’s not necessarily such a bad thing. Wong’s filmmaking has always suggested a multitude of interpretations and cooked up several levels of cinematic reality—whatever that may be— and here, we’re left with a quintessential Wongian poem, a strangely romantic vision of the future.

A sequel to In the Mood For Love, the title of 2046 is derived from both a hotel room number as well as the year Hong Kong is set to fully integrate with China. People are drawn to the room 2046 like moths to a flame—this is a place where people can recapture their long-lost memories, their melancholic reminiscences of broken romances gone terribly wrong. Here, Tony Leung— having a blast channelling a young Clark Gable—flashes back to his torrid affairs with six different women (among them Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li, Faye Wong and Maggie Cheung).

Wong’s stylish neo-noir filmmaking is enchanting to watch. With over-the-top visuals, minimalist dialogue and self-conscious acting styles, his work harkens back to Fassbinder’s best stuff. In the same way, Wong invites us into the erotically charged world of his characters, while never letting us get too intimate with them—thus we’re constantly inspired to identify with the characters while being distanced from them at the same time. Visually stunning, the film also constantly reminds us we’re in the act of watching a movie.

The debate will rage on about 2046 until, well, long after 2046. It is cryptic and highly unusual, a film that will sate the appetites of Wong fans but probably put off others who don’t tune in to his frequency. Mess or masterpiece? 2046 is a bit of both.

2046 OPENS FRIDAY, SEPT. 2, AT EXCENTRIS WITH FRENCH SUBTITLES, AND CINÉMA DU PARC WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

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