A work of Wong Kar-wai fan fiction, at best. One of self parody, at worst. In this sequel of sorts to In the Mood for Love, we catch up with the cuckolded husband of that film (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) a few years later, now writing genre stories for a living in late 1960s Hong Kong while engaging in a series of volatile and frivolous (to him) romances. Figures pop up from other Wong films—including Carina Lau’s Lulu, from Days of Being Wild—sometimes in the narrative proper and sometimes as androids in the science-fiction story the writer is developing. New faces to the Wong universe include Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Gong Li (Farewell My Concubine). Everyone looks fantastic in 2046—the costuming and production design is as impeccable as ever—and Wong’s signature aesthetic flourishes are on full display (perhaps even amped up too much). Yet in mostly referencing previous films in lieu of building a solid foundation for this one, Wong ends up with a series of extravagantly designed but emotionally hollow cinematic sketches. Nothing here hurts as much as it should.
