2046
Movie, 2004, Named by critics, Set in Third in the trilogy
2046 is #31 of 48 in release order and #24 of 48 in chronological order in the Spiritual Trilogies.
The story
Women enter and exit a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.
2046 recap
In late 1960s Hong Kong, Chow Mo-wan, back from Singapore, is a writer of pulp fiction and a womaniser who keeps his feelings to himself. He takes a room in a hotel next to room 2046, the number of the hotel room where he once met Su Li-zhen. In it he sees a string of guests, among them Bai Ling, a nightclub hostess who falls for him while he treats their affair as casual and pays her each time, and Wang Jing-wen, the owner's daughter, who loves a Japanese man her father opposes. Chow writes a science fiction story, 2046, about a train to a place where people go to recover lost memories, casting Jing-wen's boyfriend and an android modelled on her. He also remembers a gambler in Singapore, also named Su Li-zhen, who would not go with him. The last film in Wong Kar-wai's Love Trilogy, it follows Chow from In the Mood for Love after his time with Su.
2046 ending explained
Chow ends the film alone, deciding at last to let go of Su. Jing-wen gets engaged to her Japanese boyfriend, and Chow's hopes of her fade. The night before Bai Ling leaves for Singapore, he has dinner with her, and she pays with the $10 notes he gave her, one for every night they spent together. She begs him to stay; he says he cannot and leaves in a taxi.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch 2046
2046 isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube.
Ratings
IMDb 7.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 87%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Shaun of the Dead, before Lady Vengeance.
- Chronological order: after In the Mood for Love, before L'Avventura.
Cast
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Chow Mo-wan
- Gong Li as Black Spider / Su Li-zhen
- Faye Wong as Wang Jing-wen / Android
- Takuya Kimura as Tak
- Zhang Ziyi as Bai Ling
- Dong Jie as Wang Jie-wen
- Carina Lau as Lulu / Mimi / Android
- Chang Chen as Mimi's Boyfriend
- Maggie Cheung as Su Li-zhen
- Thongchai McIntyre as Bird
- Siu Ping-Lam as Ah Ping
- Wang Sum as Mr. Wang / Train Captain
Directed by Wong Kar-Wai.