“2046” Why does Taku/Takuya Kimura ride the train? Capitalism and the anxieties of the times depicted by Wong Kar-wai

From “In the Mood for Love” and “2046” to “Shika”

Regarding ``2046,'' Kar-wai acknowledged the meaning of the number in the title, but said, ``I had no intention of making a film that dealt with political issues.I'm more interested in people.'' As said, the superficial political Arrival of this film is very thin, and the focus is on depicting Chau's personal story. One could even say that ``In the Mood for Love'', which did not emphasize political aspects as much, had a stronger Arrival.

However, in the case of this film, since it depicts "change" in Hong Kong after 1997, it cannot escape the fact that it is a political film. Now, after the large-scale demonstrations in 2019 and the enforcement of the Hong Kong National Security Law by the Chinese government in 2020, the question in the play, ``Do you think there are things that will never change?'' has become even more urgent. There are many voices saying that the principle of "unchanging for 50 years" has now been violated in Hong Kong.

“2046” © 2004 BLOCK 2 PICTURES INC. © 2019 JET TONE CONTENTS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Kar-wai, who concluded his ``60s trilogy'' from `` Days of Being Wild'' and ``In the Mood for Love '' with `` 2046 ,'' said, ``I plan to stay away from the 60s for a while.'' In fact, the only feature films that Kar-Wai has directed since then are his first English-language work, `` My Blueberry Nights '' (2007), and `` The Grandmaster '' (2013), which is set in the 1930s. There was also ``Flaws in Paradise: Final Edition'' (2008), which was a re-edited version of ``Flaws in Paradise'' (1994), but in any case, they did not film much of the 1960s, or even Hong Kong after that, as mentioned above. be.

However, in 2022, the stories of ``In the Mood for Love'' and ``2046'' will finally begin to move again. Kar-Wai's first TV series, ``Flowers'', will tell the story of a wealthy man in his hometown of Shanghai during the economic boom of the 1990s. It has been said that this work will be the ``third part of the story'' following ``In the Mood for Love'' and ``2046,'' but how will the stories be connected, and will the setting be moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong? There is a possibility that Kar-Wai will finally depict Hong Kong after the handover after many years of silence. Coincidentally, 2022 is the year when the ``50 years of no change'' after Hong Kong's handover comes to an end.

[References/Materials]

“2046” DVD Special Edition (Bonus Video), TC Entertainment

“2046” Theater Program, Towa Promotion Co., Ltd., 2004

"2046 Movie 2046 Photo Book Complete Edition”Magazine House, 2004

Kosuke Fujishiro, “Between two eras: the time and space between “In the Mood for Love” and “2046””, Kentaro Sugino (ed.)movies and ideology” Minerva Shobo, 2015

"Filmmakers [14] Wong Kar-wai” Kinema Junposha, 2001

Jimmy Ngai, Masayo Ogawa (translator)Wong Kar-wai” Kinema Junposha, 1996

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/wong-kar-wai-blossoms-tv-show-trailer-1234991810/

https://www.indiewire.com/2021/06/blossoms-shanghai-footage-wong-kar-wai-tv-series-1234642989/

Text: Takatoshi Inagaki

Writer/editor/dramaturg. His writing activities span across fields such as movies, dramas, comics, theater, and art. Contributes to theater programs such as the movies ``Tenet'' and ``Joker,'' edits web media, edits exhibition catalogs, and appears on radio. Major stage works include dramaturg for PARCO's productions of ``Kengyo Yabuhara'', Tristone Entertainment's ``Shoujo Kamen'', prosthetic assistant for Kinoshita Kabuki's ``Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan'', ``Sannin Kichizo'', ``Kanjincho'', and KUNIO's ``Greeks''. ”Literature.

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© 2004 BLOCK 2 PICTURES INC. © 2019 JET TONE CONTENTS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED