Chungking Express

The long exposure shots, the minimal but beautiful dialogues, the soundscape, the lights and characters. consider me wooed.

Wait a second. That's literally me.

[MUBI, 4K] Neon lights. Romantic Neo Noir. Run to avoid tears. Undying love. Never leave your apartment key on the Midnight Express. Hong Kong colonized by music. Can an apartment cry when its owner abandons it? Two stories that are two road-movies of feelings. "Where do you want to go?. Wherever you want to take me."

Tony Leung's character must be the dumbest cop ever..

This is the most wholesome Wong film I’ve watched so far. The second story made me so happy for some reason. His movies are often depressing and sad and claustrophobic but this one felt like a rom-com in comparison and a rom-com directed by Wong kar-wai is something that must be seen.

"Actually, really knowing someone doesn't mean anything. People change, a person may like pineapple today and something else tomorrow"

You'd admire how the film explores themes of love, loss, and the fleeting nature of human connections amidst the chaotic urban environment.

Where do you want to go?
Wherever you want to take me.

The aesthetics of this film caught my attention from the day I saw a Mubi teaser announcing it. The aesthetics, the shots, the vibe and the nostalgic aura combine with the view of the always congested and multicultural Hong Kong, where the story of these 2 policemen is shown. I liked the first story quite a lot, the monologues that the cop told were very warm, although I didn't like the ambiguous ending at all (although it had a good link with the second story, to be honest).

The second story didn't really catch my attention at first, although as it developed I found it interesting. I liked its ending, but I still would have loved to see more about the first story.

Another of the most outstanding aspects (besides the photography) of the film is its music. It's a fundamental part of the storytelling and it's very well used, although I found it tedious to listen to California Dreamin' so many times.

I think it's a good little movie to watch when you're feeling melancholy and just want to be carried away by the audiovisual stimuli rather than by a good story.

This is a movie that is somewhat absurd in its plot line and character actions, but not too much that it becomes surreal, so I guess it becomes difficult to tackle on the "how" to watch it. I think it's more of a go-with-the-flow type of movie that you enjoy more of its bits than you do the whole, such as the characters relationship with the objects surrounding them and the metaphors and similies that arise from this. It's lovely nonetheless, specially the second film with Faye's character, and it will leave you giggling and tossing your feet up in the air if you savor it instead of trying to make sense out of it. My biggest problem is the editing, though: the hard angles and slow motion at times didn't match the movie overall vibe. It just felt disorienting for no reason and, to be honest, a bit on the cheap side.

Music goes hard, as does the cinematography. Seemed a bit unfocused, but I also know that's by design.