Chungking Express

Chungking Express is Wong Kar Wai's 1994 film set in Hong Kong and revolving around the fates of two couples. The film is split into two parts, the first involving a female con artist and a male policeman, and the second a female cafe worker and another male cop. Apparently the film was only made in 23 days and it was split into two for faster editing purposes. It doesn't diminish the quality of the film- it has an effortless flow to it, and the audience can examine the parallels between them.

The four main characters are all lost, and in the case of the two male policemen, aching for their former girlfriends. In the first part the glamorous but dangerous con artist plays a sort of femme fatale figure, apathetic to the cop's advances. In the second, the girl secretly longs after the cop who frequents the cafe, and ends up trespassing into his his flat. Both cops naively wait for their ex's to come back; Kaneshiro's character goes running to ease the pain and eats her favourite fruit, while Leung talks to household items like soap for comfort.

It is an incredibly sweet and romantic film; after watching In the mood for love I was frustrated by what I deemed the restraint, and perhaps even the coldness in the characters relationship. Chungking Express hinges on the same secret longing, but has a warmth and openness to it that elevates it past ITMFL. Kar Wai's film is filled with charming character nuances, like Kaneshiro's insistence that he eat canned pineapple dated May 1st, in tribute to his love for his ex, while the cafe girl loves to play music loudly "so you don't have to think", particularly the Mama's and the Papa's 'California Dreamin".

It is also an absolute feast for the senses. Kar Wai's longtime cinematographer Doyle is noted for his superb colour pallete and invigorating cinematography. In the case of this film, the Hong Kong streets are a blur of colours and sounds. The serene colours echo the characters joy and sadness. Even the most menial everyday tasks, such as cleaning kitchen surfaces, are turned into exhilarating cinematic sequences through the eyes of Doyle's handheld camera. The music is also very evocative, 'California Dreamin', one of my favourite tracks from childhood, was a welcome surprise, as was Wong's covers of Cocteau Twin and Cranberries tracks. The lushness of the visuals are perfectly complimented by the woozy songs.

Surprisingly warm, energetic and charming. 8/10.