Entwined Aspirations, Love and Identity in Chungking Express
Wong Kar Wai, born in Shanghai in 1956 and later moved to Hong Kong, is Hong Kong’s most influential figure in contemporary film. His movies break the mold of tradition, taking influences and energy from Hong Kong action cinema, but telling stories more influenced by the emotional excavation and vibe of the French New Wave. Exploring themes of love, time, and memory, characterized by poetic dialogue and expressive cinematography, he has become a defining mark on the history and future of arthouse cinema.
Chungking Express, his third feature film, explores themes of romantic fatalism and its tight connection to self discovery. Living mostly in the liminal spaces, the film itself occupies a similar time in his career, while questioning his own auteurial identity. On a break from a big budget Hong Kong epic Ashes of Time, he sought to see what he could do with more freedom and fewer resources. Released in 1994, it’s a transition point on his move away from the mainstream, through arthouse grit, and then on to the renaissance perfectionism of his films to come.
It should be noted that the film was shot during a period of rapid change in Hong Kong, just before the handover of sovereignty from Britain to China in 1997. This context adds a layer of poignancy, reflecting the uncertainty and transitional identity of the city.
Wong Kar Wai’s collaboration with cinematographer Christopher Doyle is a defining part of the film. The use of experimental techniques, slow-motion sequences, and embracing the unconventional, creates an experience that reflects the emotional depth and grit of both characters and their surroundings. However, the work is substantially less stylized than their other collaborations, allowing us to feel the seeming simplicity of the character’s worlds and making room for the emotional complexity of their journey.
Keep an eye out for how physical objects, as well as locations, music, and careers, represent the emotional states of the characters, and how the characters influence these things, often in literal ways, throughout the movie.
Asa Fox
Kyiv Cinema Society