Long ago I went to a Korean Film Festival in D.C. I was having fun being around those who appreciated film as much as I did. I finally had time between films to get a bite to eat. Went to a little café called Corner Bakery. It was crowded so I asked a girl who was at a table alone if I could sit at hers. She nodded yes. She noticed my movie pamphlet with all the listings at the festival and she told me she’s been watching films nonstop at the festival and she just got out of her seventh film. Before you knew it, we were talking nonstop about films. What felt like 5 minutes was actually an hour and a half. We started to talk about love and what we looked for. I felt a connection between the two of us. There definitely was something there. Then we both looked at our watches. It was time for our films. Her film was in the opposite direction than mine. We said our goodbyes and both walked out of the Corner Bakery. Exchanged glances. It felt like “Meet Joe Black”, but I didn’t get hit by multiple cars looking back. Although when I realized I didn’t get her number I ran back, but she was gone. I often ponder about that memory. It’s one of those “What if?” moments. What if I got her number? Would we be together? Then I think how is she doing now? Is she happy? What does that story have to do with 2046? Well the film deals with memory and of course it was one of the films we talked about.
2046 is a sequel to ‘In the Mood for Love’. Mr. Chow has left his wife and hasn’t seen Mrs. Chan since their last encounter. He’s on a despairing search for love in a place that by pure bad luck and misread feelings cut him off from any long-term relationship. He’s a man in love with the idea of love with all the pain and suffering from what “romance” entails. He is more of a ladies’ man than he was before, but deep down he is still the same man. Losing his heart over and over again and trying to guard his heart from what he misguidedly distinguishes as betrayals. He’s made a mindful decision not to get hurt again and wears his cavalier boldness like armor (doesn’t work though). He tells Bai Ling that he doesn’t do commitment, which means he can’t risk hurt anymore. Despite all his precautions he can’t help getting attached. I read somewhere someone saying, “What happened to Mr. Chow? I miss the old Mr. Chow.” Well ‘In the Mood for Love’ happened. The women he falls for eventually become characters in his sci-fi book titled “2046”.
In his futuristic world, Chow describes that those that live in 2046 are able to take a train back into time, but they are never able to return:
“Every passenger who goes to 2046 has the same intention. They want to recapture lost memories because nothing ever changes in 2046. Nobody knows if that’s true because nobody’s ever come back.”
Mr. Chow’s life is problematic because nearly everyone he meets have been betrayed, difficult with their emotions. All of those he meets are sexual beings who are open to sex right off the bat, but when it comes to a profounder emotional connection and communication they become, much like Chow’s androids in his book, slow to respond. Only acting on it much after the fact.
Part of Mr. Chow’s problem is that he returned to Hong Kong. He’s gone back into time in faith that he’ll find Mrs. Chan or someone like her. He’s lost in the past, trapped in remembering, and getting caught in a loop. Right from the start, the viewer discovers that 2046 isn’t going to be a kind film. Nostalgia plays a big part in every person’s life. Whether it’s thinking of a girl in a café or going to the Blockbuster on a Friday night. As we become older we tend to look backward with a smile instead of looking forward. Change can become a frightening thing and we are afraid of what the future has in hold so we retreat to the times we were happiest.
When you’ve lost someone that meant a lot to you, it does become easier to go from lover to lover without a care in the world. It both makes you miserable and helps you forget what you lost. Mr. Chow’s craving to forget Mrs. Chan is just like his character in his book. He hasn’t advanced to the point where he wants to leave 2046, but obsessed with going back into time. Instead of making a new path going forward, he rather stay in the past. Although once he finishes his book he realizes some of the mistakes he’s made.
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