Bloodless Coup

2046

Will you leave with me?

I find it rather remarkable that in as sumptuous and sometimes melodramatic a work of art as 2046, cuttingly real and wise remarks about the nature of love are presented. And that so much about something so important to life can be so far beyond our control and subject to the whims of timing and chance …Well, if the deepest calls of the heart can appear cruelly capricious they are also matters that define how we see the world and live our lives.

This film concerns how we choose to (or choose not to) deal with memories of lost love, and the fundamental role such actions play in shaping our behavior. It’s probably not worth it to say more about the plot than that – because in a way the details seem beside the point. This is simply a tale of memories and love – about as fundamental motivators of human behavior as one can imagine.

But just because it centers on basic human drives, that should not imply it is a simple tale. If you studied it long enough you could problem find a host of instances of intriguing doubling. And the film glides over matters of politics and changing social norms that themselves could be said to be key to its meaning. But, understandably, the thing that many people will most associate with this work is its style – and there’s nothing the slightest bit simple about that. It’s amazingly beautiful. All parts of the crafting are superbly done, from the computer effects to the make-up, from the acting to the lighting, from the music to the cinematography. It’s an appropriately sensual, mysterious, dream-like world – whether the world happens to be imaginary or not.