After seeing the recent DVD release of "2046", I was curious to take in an earlier film by wunderkind Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai. This visually arresting though rather discombobulated film from 1997 is more modest in scope, as it focuses on the unhealthily co-dependent relationship between two on-again, off-again gay lovers from Hong Kong, who end up broke on a last-chance trip to Argentina. In a volatile yin-yang situation, Ho Po-Wing is the cockier and apparently needier of the two, always in search of the next rush of instant gratification regardless of the source, while Lai Yiu-Fai is the controlling partner either unblinkingly morose or explosively volatile. In terms of where the story starts, their relationship has become nothing but a series of arguments and break-ups.
With no flashback to point to a happier time or a hint of a positive indication as to why they are together, Wong comes up short in inflaming any sparks that could still be struck between lovers who argue constantly. Moreover, the film really has little structure other than to show the difficulties which people have in sustaining a connection. A third person is introduced but in an intentionally vague manner, as Lai gets a new job at a restaurant and meets the effusive Chang, a young Taiwanese trying to earn enough to fund his travels abroad. A romance does not occur but an emotional connection does, which causes Lai to make moves toward liberating himself from his depraved situation.
Except for a somewhat graphic opening scene, the homosexual elements are downplayed in favor of a kinetic energy that leverages Christopher Doyle's creative cinematography. Doyle combines black-and-white sequences with color, as well as the random use of different film stocks, exposures and frame rates to manipulate the passage of time. He also lends stunning overview shots of Iguazu Falls, the movie's metaphorical centerpiece, lending a dream-like, salvation quality to the couple's hoped-for destination. Both the attractive leads lend visceral energy and an emotional authenticity to their roles - Wong's favorite leading man, Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Lai and the late Leslie Cheung as Ho. The passionate, often violent dynamics between the two are convincing. Chen Chang effectively infuses Chang with an idealism that makes Lai's attraction, platonic or not, understandable.
Although I think Wong is a supremely talented director, I was surprised to find out that this film earned him the Best Director prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, flawed as the film is. Although it is as visually audacious as "2046", I have to admit I was left a bit cold emotionally by the end product. The DVD does include an invaluable looking-back documentary called "Buenos Aires - Zero Degree". An hour in length and for once, a truly indispensable supplement, it shows the movie's evolution through rehearsals, script development and cast interviews, including deleted scenes of abandoned subplots and characters.
With no flashback to point to a happier time or a hint of a positive indication as to why they are together, Wong comes up short in inflaming any sparks that could still be struck between lovers who argue constantly. Moreover, the film really has little structure other than to show the difficulties which people have in sustaining a connection. A third person is introduced but in an intentionally vague manner, as Lai gets a new job at a restaurant and meets the effusive Chang, a young Taiwanese trying to earn enough to fund his travels abroad. A romance does not occur but an emotional connection does, which causes Lai to make moves toward liberating himself from his depraved situation.
Except for a somewhat graphic opening scene, the homosexual elements are downplayed in favor of a kinetic energy that leverages Christopher Doyle's creative cinematography. Doyle combines black-and-white sequences with color, as well as the random use of different film stocks, exposures and frame rates to manipulate the passage of time. He also lends stunning overview shots of Iguazu Falls, the movie's metaphorical centerpiece, lending a dream-like, salvation quality to the couple's hoped-for destination. Both the attractive leads lend visceral energy and an emotional authenticity to their roles - Wong's favorite leading man, Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Lai and the late Leslie Cheung as Ho. The passionate, often violent dynamics between the two are convincing. Chen Chang effectively infuses Chang with an idealism that makes Lai's attraction, platonic or not, understandable.
Although I think Wong is a supremely talented director, I was surprised to find out that this film earned him the Best Director prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, flawed as the film is. Although it is as visually audacious as "2046", I have to admit I was left a bit cold emotionally by the end product. The DVD does include an invaluable looking-back documentary called "Buenos Aires - Zero Degree". An hour in length and for once, a truly indispensable supplement, it shows the movie's evolution through rehearsals, script development and cast interviews, including deleted scenes of abandoned subplots and characters.