My Blueberry Nights

My Blueberry Nights (Wong Kar Wai, HK/France, 2007) ★★★★

In “Chungking Express,” what happened on the journey when Faye left for a year are all in this movie “My Blueberry Nights.” The 9th film by Wong Kar Wai returns to the relaxing basis of “Chunking Express,” combined with the multiple character story of “2046” and specially baked this sweet yet a little sour desert.

Like the characters in all the WKW movies, the leading role Elizabeth met the coffee shop owner Jeremy because of being love-crossed, their chemistry fermented in the conversations every night. The whole blueberry pie also was also finally appreciated by someone who knows its delicious taste. But Elizabeth who was still soaked in the trauma suddenly disappeared since one day. It turned out that she decided to give herself space and time to see clearly what she should throw away and what she should keep.

On the journey, Elizabeth met a cop who was lost in his sadness, a wife with ambivalence and struggle and a woman gambler without s sense of trust. She saw her own reflections on them. Undoubtedly, she could feel the pain of the love-crossed cop with all her heart. She could also understand the insecurity the wife had in a relationship. As for the distrust the woman gambler disguises in a sturdy look made her feel the importance of trust all over again.

The performance by the first screening-acting Norah Jones is refreshing and inevitably reminds me of Faye Wong who was also a new star in “Chungking Express.” The brilliant acting by a cast of Oscar winning and nominated actors is even out of question. Jude Law played the coffee shop owner skillfully and presented the light sorrow when facing the lost love naturally. David Strathairn who played the cop makes the heartbreaking moments with every look. Rachel Weisz brilliantly portrayed the psychological turning from being uninhibited to painfully regretful. Natalie Portman has the cool attitude she always got and also a slight fragility behind the sturdy.

Though the cameraman changed from Wong’s old partner Christopher Doyle to Darius Khondji who was famous for the strongly visualized “Delicatessen,” the image of the whole film is still full of Wong’s consistent free yet with rich aftertaste style. Also being good at using music, Wong picked the songs and score that match the story and the image perfectly, there’s even a harmonica version of the theme music from “In the Mood for Love.” Of course there are also William Cheung’s art design and editing which is essential as always.

When Elizabeth met Jeremy again, they finally knew keys are just bindings. Sometimes it only needs a heart to open a door. This film is not an ambitious work that Wong is trying to breakthrough, but people who like his previous works can surely feel his perspective and feelings for life, family and love profoundly.

The Fountain

The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky, US, 2006) ★★★★

What’s the definition of eternity? Is it to find a way to keep oneself living in this world? Or to be reborn with different forms continuously? Director Darren Aronofsky, who got famous for “π” (Pi) and “Requiem for a Dream, ” continues his same experimental visual style and brings out his thoughts on eternity with a love story.

Tom is a doctor who never finds the way to cure his cancer-suffered wife, but Izzi doesn’t fear of the fact that her life is going to end. Instead, she craves to catch every moment being with her husband. Only that Tom can’t see this and keeps bury himself in the research, hopes that his wife could stay by his side forever. Even after reading the story “The Fountain” which his wife wrote, he still can’t realize her perspective towards to life.

In the story, Maya Empire in the 16th century started to be invaded by Spain Empire. Tomas went to find the secret of immortality in the Mayan legend with the queen’s order and her ring. He finally climbed to the top of the pyramid after a hard battle by himself. And the story stops at the blink of the gate keeper who swung his blade to Tomas’ neck.

In the Mayan legend, people’s bodies become everything in the universe after dying, and Izzi dreams of the saying of becoming birds which can fly between heaven and earth the most. She tells Tom about this legend, trying to let him know that death doesn’t need to be feared, on the contrary, it’s a hope of letting oneself to be reborn. Before Izzi can’t finish her story in time, she asks Tom to finish it, and it becomes a mind journey of discovering life for him.

Aronofsky’s jumping editing style makes the film keep a sense of mystery. Three parts that seem irrelevant finally become one point in the end. Tom put himself in the universe and lived with his wife who transformed into a tree. The time of getting immortal life finally comes, form upgrades into spirit. It keeps Tomas from being killed by the gate keeper and also let him to experience the meaning of being “eternity” after being greed of immortality.

In this stunningly beautiful but with extremely serious topic film, Aronofsky’s language and image might not that easy to be digest. But if willing to go into his state which he creates especially, inside the extreme elegant vision and the melt-into-soul score is the other side of death, a life that keeps cycling like a fountain, it’s an eternity makes people want to have.