2046

Tony Leung Chiu-wai stars as a broken-hearted writer who surrounds himself with new loves and old flames, real and imagined.

Jaded by a heartbreak that transformed him into a ladies’ man, writer Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) travels from Singapore to Hong Kong, reconnecting with a former lover along the way. The pair ends up in room 2046 at the Oriental Hotel – the room number sparking a memory of another past love.

Taking up residence in the hotel, Mo-wan whiles his time away writing gossip columns, erotica and wuxia works for cash. Then, he starts writing a futuristic story called 2046, about a place where the broken-hearted can go to recover lost memories.

Curator’s Note
This is Wong Kar Wai’s dreamy and visually intoxicating third film in a trilogy following Days of Being Wild (1990) and In the Mood for Love (2000). 2046 is intended to be a continuation of Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s character in the latter; however, all three films are equally satisfying when enjoyed individually.

The film features a veritable cavalcade of iconic female actors from Wong Kar Wai’s cinematic universe, including Maggie Cheung (In the Mood for Love), Carina Lau (Days of Being Wild), Faye Wong (Chungking Express), Gong Li (The Hand) and Ziyi Zhang (The Grandmaster), strangely befitting of a film unafraid to travel through time.

– Reece Goodwin, Senior Programmer (Film & Screen Industry)