Film: Chungking Express
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Country: Hong Kong
Released: July 1994
Runtime: 98 minutes
Genre: Romantic Drama
Studio: Jet Tone
Influenced: Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, Denis Villeneuve, Barry Jenkins, Chloé Zhao
With the intent to capture the atmosphere and rhythm of Hong Kong, especially its vibrant street life, Wong Kar-Wai shot Chungking Express in just a few weeks with a small budget. The director wrote the screenplay as shooting progressed, contributing to the film's fragmented and poetic approach to storytelling, as it explores themes of loneliness and fate, and the fleeting connections people make in urban environments. Chungking in the title refers to Chungking Mansions in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, where the director grew up in the 1960s, and where I stayed as a backpacker in the mid-2000s. It was an absolute hive of activity, a sensory overload of sounds and smells. Express refers to the food stand Midnight Express, located in Lan Kwai Fong in the centre of Hong Kong, where I ate the best noodles of my life. The director improvised some of the scenes, adding to the spontaneous and unconventional feel of the film, notably its dreamy opening scene.
Wong Kar-Wai and cinematographer Christopher Doyle employed a visually striking and kinetic style, characterised by handheld cameras, neon-soaked streets and slow-motion sequences. The rapid cutting and dynamic camera work captures the frenetic energy of Hong Kong's working class people going about their work and lives. Also evocative is the film's soundtrack, featuring music by Faye Wong (including her wonderful Cantonese cover of Dreams by The Cranberries) and other artists, which plays a crucial role in setting the emotional mood of the film. The use of Indian music shows the diversity of Hong Kong’s population, while the moment where Faye (Faye Wong) repeatedly plays California Dreamin' on a jukebox while working at her food stall is an iconic scene. Dream pop bands like Cocteau Twins would become big in Asia following the film’s release. The film is divided into two distinct but interconnected stories, and the director marks the shift between the film’s two narratives by changing the music from Dennis Brown’s Things of Life to California Dreamin’.
One of the most innovative aspects of Chungking Express is its narrative structure. It features two parallel stories with distinct characters that share thematic similarities and occasionally intersect. The first story follows a lovelorn police officer, He Qiwu (Takeshi Kaneshiro), who recently broke up with his girlfriend. He frequents a fast-food restaurant, Midnight Express, and forms a connection with the quirky and enigmatic drug smuggler, Woman in a Blonde Wig (Brigitte Lin). Via his encounters with her and the restaurant's staff, he begins to find solace and a sense of renewal. The second story centres on Cop 663 (Tony Leung), another police officer who is dealing with the pain of a recent break-up. He meets the mysterious Faye, who in turn becomes fascinated by Cop 663 and starts secretly entering his apartment, rearranging his belongings and leaving her own mark on his life. Some of my favourite scenes in the film involve Leung talking to inanimate objects such as a fluffy Garfield toy ("what are those scars? Have you been getting into fights?") and his shirt ("where have you been hiding?"). Throughout the film, the dialogue is wonderful, so sharp, funny and poignant.
Chungking Express received critical acclaim and won several awards, both in Hong Kong and internationally, including the Best Director award at the 1994 Hong Kong Film Awards. The film's cult reputation also grew quickly internationally. While Chungking Express was not in the main Cannes competition in 1994, it was shown in the Directors' Fortnight section and received positive reviews, helping to raise Wong Kar-Wai's international profile. The film also raised the profile of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, whose 1981 short story – On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning – was the inspiration for the film's key theme of life being a string of chances to which we can only react. As well as being a classic of Hong Kong cinema, Chungking Express became one of the defining movies of the 90s, with one of the most beautiful closing lines of any film:
Faye: Where do you want to go?
Cop 663: Wherever you want to take me.
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