2046 Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)August 10th, 2005
2046
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
2046 is a handsome enigma that offers little to reward the viewer's patience. Its baffling story concerns the number 2046, which has multiple meanings. It is the number of a hotel room which people have trouble leaving, and it's a year in the future where part of the story is set. The movie moves so slowly that you'll swear that 2046 is also the number of minutes in the film's running length.
2046, by writer/director Wong Kar Wai, is the sequel to his IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, a real favorite film of mine. But while both films share some common stars and a beautiful look and sound, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is a much more accessible film. In 2046, Chow Mo Wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is again the central character. Chow and the character he is writing in his novel, set in 2046, are having relationships with multiple women, some of whom are androids. Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li play two of the prettiest of the women.
Since the film opens with a voice-over that tells us, "All memories are traces of tears," I suspect the reaction to the story is supposed to be sadness. But I'm here to tell you that the film's wonderfully dreamy music is much more likely to induce a peaceful state of slumber than make you cry. It is said of Chow that "It's as if he boarded a very long train headed for a drowsy future through the unfathomable night." You'll feel like you boarded his train too as you try to stay awake through 2046. 2046 is a film that most critics will gush over but that will put most viewers to sleep. Now, if Wai ever really makes a proper sequel to IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, I want to see it.
2046 runs a long 2:09. The film is in Cantonese, Japanese and Mandarin with English subtitles. It is rated R for "sexual content" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film is playing in limited release now in the United States.
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