Introduction
Wong Kar-wai is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of the 21st century. He is a filmmaker who transports you to his captivating, neon-lit universe where anything can happen. His films carry a depth of emotions that come alive in the form of his characters, their surroundings, and more importantly their journeys.
Kar-wai’s cinematic universe is an idiosyncratic place filled with hope and unforeseen events that topple the ordered nature of things and compels you to take a moment and appreciate the beauty of the stuff passing by. Here’s a list of Kar-wai’s filmography to help you get started!
The List
01. As Tears Go By
Source - Janus Films
Duration: 01h 42m
Year of Release: 1988
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin
Plot Synopsis: A Chinese mobster considers quitting the Triad after falling in love with a distant relative, but despite his best attempts, circumstances, and troubles caused by an errant younger brother keep luring him back into the lifestyle.
02. 2046
Source - Mubi
Duration: 02h 29m
Year of Release: 2004
Language: Cantonese
Plot Synopsis: A train travels through a futuristic landscape, transporting people to a destination where they can relive their past, but no one has ever returned. This is the concept of a novel by Chow (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), a womanizing sci-fi writer who has passionate encounters with a series of intriguing ladies he meets at Hong Kong's Oriental Hotel.
As Chow's lovers provide him with material for his writing, reality and fantasy collide, and the past meets the future.
03. Days of Being Wild
Source - The Criterion Collection
Duration: 01h 34m
Year of Release: 1990
Language: Cantonese
Plot Synopsis: York is an amoral, disillusioned, and spiteful young man whose foster mother keeps him in luxury.
04. Happy Together
Source - Mubi
Duration: 01h 37m
Year of Release: 1997
Language: Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin
Plot Synopsis: Lai (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and his boyfriend, Ho (Leslie Cheung), flee Hong Kong for a better life in Argentina. Their tumultuous relationship devolves into abuse, resulting in multiple break-ups and reconciliations.
When Lai befriends another man, Chang (Chen Chang), he realizes that staying with the promiscuous Ho is pointless. Chang, on the other hand, is on his own adventure, and both Lai and Ho eventually find themselves far from home and profoundly lonely.
05. In the Mood for Love
Source - IMDb
Duration: 01h 38m
Year of Release: 2000
Language: Cantonese
Plot Synopsis: Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chou Wai), a journalist, and his wife move into a Hong Kong flat in 1962, although Chow's wife is frequently abroad on business. Soon after, the lonely Chow meets the intriguing Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk), whose own significant other appears to be distracted with work as well.
When the two friends find their lovers are cheating on them, they fall in love with one another; nevertheless, neither of them wants to be like the unfaithful spouses.
06. Chungking Express
Source - Come to the Peddler
Duration: 01h 37m
Year of Release: 1994
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese
Plot Synopsis: Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) buys a can of pineapple with an expiration date of May 1 every day, signifying the day he'll be able to forget about his lost love.
He's also smitten by a strange woman in a blond wig (Brigitte Lin), who is completely unaware that she is a drug dealer. Tony Leung Chiu Wai's cop 663 (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is heartbroken over a breakup. However, when his ex leaves a spare set of keys at a nearby café, a waitress (Faye Wong) lets herself into his apartment and improves his life.
07. Fallen Angels
Source - Mubi
Duration: 01h 39m
Year of Release: 1995
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese
Plot Synopsis: In Hong Kong, an assassin, his boss, an entrepreneur, and two ladies cross paths as their professional and personal lives clash and influence one another, most of the time without their knowledge.
Conclusion
Wong Kar-wai films are different. They are different because they move you in a way that is quite unexplainable. You want to watch his films all day, all night, but you don't. You can't. Why not?
Because his films make you feel emotions you didn't know you had. They make you feel the empty void inside of you that never sees the light. His films offer you a realm where emotions and characters run free.
His films make you want to take a break from life so you can daydream about existing in a universe inhabited by eccentric characters, bright neon lights, and addictive songs...and as you begin to take it all in, you look around yourself and find it all to be a dream. This feeling of loneliness and unrequited love creeps in slowly and leaves you shattered.
By the time you get over your loneliness and bury those emotions deep down, there he is again. With a different film. You still contemplate your thoughts on not indulging in that state but give up eventually and let it shatter you all over again, and that right there is the eternal beauty of WKW.
Written by: Janshi
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