The significance of the individual moment in Wong Kar-Wai’s films is perhaps the most personal feature of his storytelling. Wong Kar-Wai has a nostalgic fascination with Hong Kong in the 1960s, in which “Wong recreates a ‘60s Hong Kong that is both nostalgic and contemporary, evoking both tradition and modernity” (Wright). Wong himself moved to Hong Kong in 1963 at the age of five (Brunette 20), so certainly Wong’s depiction of Hong Kong in the 1960s is highly reflective of his childhood during the same period.
Of the three films mentioned, only Days of Being Wild is actually depicted in this setting. Days of Being Wild relates to another moment in this period as well, it is a tribute to the “Ah Fei” films of the 1950s and ‘60s – Wong’s childhood (Teo 32-34). A reminder of the 1960s does appear in Chungking Express, as “California Dreamin”, a popular song released in 1965 plays repeatedly in the film’s second narrative and reminds the audience of the time.
Many of Wong Kar-Wai’s characters are products of a moment – they look back on a moment in the past when things were perhaps happier. This is easily seen in the characters 223 and 633 of Chungking Express. 223 is stuck on the day when his girlfriend broke up with him, April 1. He lives this by purchasing a can of pineapple with an expiration date of May 1, at which time he has decided that his girlfriend will come back to him or their love will have expired. 633’s apartment serves as a relic of a moment, when the flight attendant left him. Her uniform still hangs, and he interacts with the objects in the apartment in relation to their role in the couples lives’. The situation is slightly different in As Tears Go By, but elements of the moment remain. Andy Lau’s character Wah is a man who “lives in the moment”. He lives the fast life of a gangster, and does not concern himself with the past or the future. Therefore he is similarly single minded as 223 and 633 are.
Another theme of Wong Kar-Wai’s films that is shown through his characters is isolation. In the case of Days of Being Wild, while the characters are connected, they fail again and again to create lasting relationships (Wright). The film is full of failed pairings, both Li-zhen and Mimi want Yuddy, but Yuddy really just wants his mother (Brunette 18). Stephen Teo suggested that another issue in these failed pairings is Yuddy’s own love for himself, which also keeps him isolated from others (Teo 40-41). In Chungking Express, while the characters are dealing with a past failed relationship, they struggle to fully connect again. In the case of 223, after he is finally successful in bringing the woman with the blonde wig back to his hotel room, she falls asleep and their relationship fails to develop any further. For 633, after he and Faye are finally supposed to have a date, she instead flies to California and stands him up. They again are paired in the end, but the future of their relationship is ambiguous.
Isolation is also shown through Wong Kar-Wai’s narrative, “Wong effectively highlights the fact that people are in close physical proximity, but can be so far apart, and indeed are so very far apart, at the same time” (Wright). This refers to Chungking Express, during a monologue, 223 speaks of being extremely physically close to the woman with the blonde wig and Faye for an instant, but alludes to the failure of intimate connection.
The monologue is another tool of Wong Kar-Wai to further his theme of isolation. “The isolation of his characters often gives way to voiceover monologues in which his character’s status as outsiders is constantly reiterated. The alienating space of the city is often the backdrop for inhabitants who struggle to mentally articulate their own sense of place and identity within the urban landscape” (Wright). This particular vehicle of dialogue is as isolated as dialogue can be; the accompanying cinematography portrays this as well. Wong Kar-Wai’s monologues are delivered over imagery that isolates the character from their environment.
The stylish cinematography of Christopher Doyle echoes Wong Kar-Wai’s narrative. The iconic image of the protagonist walking along on a city night as indistinguishable extras race by is perhaps the most powerful imagery of isolation in Wong Kar-Wai’s films. In Days of Being Wild there are a number of two-shots in which only one character is in focus, additionally, instead of a typical shot/reverse shot dialogue, there are sequences of dialogue where the camera remains on only one of the characters (Brunette 24). Finally, the film features a large number of night scenes where the characters travel streets that are empty and lonely.
Isolation appears in As Tears Go By much like the theme of the moment does, through Wah. The romance between Wah and Ngor works because before her arrival in his life, he is an isolated figure. He is shown in the gangster life style, but as a person he stands apart from the other gangster characters like Fly and Tony. Wah has a sense of duty towards Fly, but there is very little intellectual or emotional connection portrayed between the two throughout the film.
A feeling of isolation is impossible to escape in Wong Kar-Wai’s films. It is delivered in such a variety of forms that is the most evident of his common themes; it is a constant feature of the narrative, even when the characters are not isolated on the screen.
The final theme of Wong Kar-Wai’s films is time. In As Tears Go By the importance of time is implied through Ngor’s introduction. She appears at the door just as Wah gets off the phone, and appears to be an extremely unhealthy individual; she looks frail and wears a mask over her mouth – as if she has a terminal condition (Teo 20).
The theme of time comes on much stronger in Days of Being Wild; through out the film clocks appear on screen, reminding us that time is important. Clocks tick off-screen, a woman cleans a clock, Yuddy says that his watch has been stolen so he asks Tide for the time; one scene even opens with a shot of a wristwatch (Wright). When Yuddy meets Li Zhen he says “let’s be friends for one minute”. Direct mention of time appears in dialogue quite regularly in Wong Kar-Wai films. The specific mention and overwhelming time-related imagery bombards the audience with the notion that time is important.
Time appears again in both narratives of Chungking Express. A measure of time is the central plot as 223’s narrative begins. Everyday he purchases a can of pineapple that will expire on May 1; exactly one month after his girlfriend broke up with him. This measure of time is symbolic to 223, as he has decided that by that point she will return to him, or their love will have expired, just as the pineapple. Eventually he becomes concerned with the idea of time expiring. As a homeless man turns down an offer of free food because “it’s expired”, 223 says, “I wonder if there’s anything in the world that won’t expire?”. This concern with time and expiration drives the first narrative in the film, as in a way he fails to create a real relationship with the woman in the blonde wig before their time has expired as well.
The role of time in the second narrative is very different, as it is more concerned with the passage of time. The fact that time has passed since 633’s relationship with the flight attendant is shown through the objects in his apartment, like the rag that is falling apart. 633’s inability to move on is measured through things like the deteriorating wash-towel. Faye goes into 633’s apartment day after day and changes things inside, this repeated action alludes to their failure to act on their mutual attraction. Additionally, when Faye’s character leaves she makes a fake boarding pass for 633 that is postdated one year. This measure of time comes again when Faye arrives at the snack bar one year later and is reunited with 633.
While the circumstances surrounding As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, and Chunking Express differ they carry similar messages through their use of theme. As Tears Go By is a combination of a romance and a gangster movie that marked the beginning of his career, but also carries typical gangster genre notions – unlike the rest of his films. Days of Being Wild established the visuals, music, and plot devices of his style. While Chungking Express is the product of his uncanny production style, made in two months while filming another movie, and tells a story just as engaging as any of his other films. All three films concern themselves the time, isolation, and the individual moment, themes central to Wong Kar-Wai’s body of work and the director himself.
Wong Kar-Wai films tell similar tales. Characters drive the story; a solid plot does not exist. Pairings of people explore relationships but are never truly fulfilling. Characters live for moments past and struggle to break from their troubling pasts. Loners struggle for connection with other individuals. His films are melodramatic tales of many of the darker elements of the human experience. As we struggle with time, isolation, and reflect on moments past, the characters live similar experiences on the screen.
Works Cited
Brunette, Peter. Wong Kar-Wai. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2005. eBook.
Teo, Stephen. Wong Kar-Wai. London: British Film Institute , 2005. eBook.
Wright, Elizabeth. "Wong Kar-Wai." Senses of Cineman. pag. Web. 6 May 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment