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Summary:
The sequel to Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love, it's the story of a writer in the late 1960's who can't escape his heartbroken romantic past. He mirrors a symbolic tale of his own life in the story of 2046, a popular erotic sci-fi series. '2046' is the name of the apartment across the hall from him, and is a number that reverberates echoes of his past.
This is the story centering around his relationship with the call girl Bai Ling in room 2046, and those around him during his stay at this apartment.

Review:
In the Mood for Love takes place in the early 60's. Chow Mo-Wan is a married newspaper editor who forms a close kinship with Su Li-Zhen, a married secretary who lives in the same building. They soon find that their spouses are both having an affair, and they deal with their painful realizations while still remaining close unromantic friends, and fighting their desire for one another.
So now we catch Chow Mo-Wan several years later, moving into an apartment in which Lulu - a woman he has been 'frequenting' with - has moved into. Coincidentally, she lived in room 2046. The same room number that Chow and Su would meet and talk. Soon Lulu is murdered by a jealous lover, and Bai Ling moves in.
There is a lot of symbolism and visual artistry in 2046. Many hail it as a remarkable masterpiece, whereas I enjoyed it, but wasn't close to impressed as much as most of the audience seems to be. There are many continuous shots that focus on a particular object and transitions to the next scene with that same object. This same method was used in In the Mood for Love, in which a set of keys, or a particular outfit will be the main focus of a particular scene as it drags itself into the next moment. As these objects are shown in a circular pattern as they move from the beginning of one scene to the end of the next, so does this movie constantly have a circular transition of passages in time, and the idea that history repeats itself. No matter what happens in the past, the future can never escape the influence of what has happened before.
The lighting, color and cinematography is delectable, with great set design throughout. The future shots of '2046' are a visual treat for the most part, and I like the character of Chow Mo-Wan's story being Japanese, which is another connection to his actual life from the first movie as well as with his need to help the girl at the apartment keep contact and uphold her relationship with her Japanese boyfriend. Once again it's an echo of the original film, in which a Cambodian woman unexpectedly helps him with his problems with Li-Zhen.
The circular theme follows the movie so continuously that you can almost hear Mr. Miyagi saying 'wax on, wax off'. Things happening to him in the present are all triggers which jog the memories of his painful past, which then become a focal point for the inspiration that turns into his stories in '2046'. Writing about the train that takes people to 2046, where everyone finds their lost memories and all but one have never returned is all in reference to Chow Mo-Wan's desire to work out his own inner demons.
His tentative relationship with Bai Ling contains a quiet, unspoken set of feelings that each side represses from the other. They have sex, but does either one of them consider it 'making love' at some point, or is it just having sex? It's obvious at some points that Bai Ling might feel something for him, but it could also just be her playing the good consumer for her Jon.

Many critics and fans of Wong Kar Wai consider this to be an expansion of In the Mood for Love, improving upon and adding to the depth of character and emotion of the original. There are a huge slew of references to In the Mood for Love throughout 2046, but you don't need to see the original to understand or enjoy this movie. In fact, there is a chance that this movie could be better being seen on its' own. There are a lot of references and moments that the viewer will not completely understand, but I feel that a lot of the 'tricks' used in the first one will be more fresh if seen for the first time in this sequel.
Are you in the mood for a slow moving character driven story about a man who can't escape his past? Want to watch a movie where a man writes about a future as an exercise of removing those painful memories of the past, while doing nothing to escape these memories in the present? If this sounds intriguing, you're right. It is, but only to a certain extent. For big fans of In the Mood for Love I'm sure you'll love this one as well. If you haven't seen the original and the concept appeals to you, check it out. It will probably be worth your time!

GRADE: B-

Reviewed: 2/7/05