Photo credit: James Law Cybertecture
8 2046 (2004)
Completing the unofficial trilogy is 2046, a sequel of sorts of In the Mood for Love. The numbers are a clear reference to the year where Hong Kong is due to be fully absorbed back into the folds of mainland China, though whether there are subtle parallels about the city itself is unclear.
Set over approximately three years, the film follows the recurring character of Chow Mo-wan (played again by Tony Leung) after he loses Su Li-zhen and the events that occur as he moves into the Oriental Hotel, as well as the various women he encounters there. Lulu from Days of Being Wild turns out to be an old flame of his and moves into the room next to his, number 2046. She winds up disappearing, and Chow gets involved with the occupants that follow after.
Another arc of the film is set within a fictional dystopia from a work of science fiction that Chow is writing, named 2046. The lonely souls from this world want to journey to a place called 2046 to recapture their lost loves. No one has ever returned from this place, except for Tak (played by Takuya Kimura), shown on a long train journey back to reality.
If this all sounds confusing, well, are you still surprised about the rambling, disjointed nature of a Wong Kar-wai film at this point? As ever, there is an all-pervading sense of melancholy, intense urgency, and unvoiced truths, compounded by much of the drama unfolding in the claustrophobic spaces of cramped hallways and furtive rented rooms.