Days Of Being Wild

This is one of the films referenced in 2046 (see earlier review). It was the director’s second film, made 13 years earlier, and the difference in time and experience shows. The shots are much more conventional, the editing is haphazard and detracts from the flow of events. You often can’t tell if a shot to shot edit indicates a different camera angle in the scene or a jump to another scene after a time shift.

It is interesting to see two of the women from 2046 in their younger years. Carina Lau is the standout here in a fiery role. The drama between the main characters is much the same as in 2046... The movie follows a man (Leslie Cheung) who actively pursues women, but distances himself emotionally as they get more attached to him. The central theme of the movie is attachment and memories. I have to say that I felt uninvolved and that the director presented events as if to an objective third party observer. In many ways, it is too close in theme and content to 2046 to survive being seen second, as it doesn’t have the stunning technical mastery and audio/visual magic to carry it over the emotional detachment. Recommended only for completists of the trilogy.