Tuesday 26 May 2009

My Blueberry Nights [2007]


My Blueberry Nights, the latest from acclaimed Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-Wai (i.e. if you don’t take into account the redux version of his Ashes of Time), is his first movie with English as the spoken language. Grammy winner Norah Jones starred as heartbroken young woman who sets off on a cross-country road journey across the US, and in the process befriends a motley of distinctive characters – an introverted café owner (Jude Law) who serves her blueberry pie for free, a lovelorn cop who has taken to alcohol to get over the memories of her ravishing albeit philandering wife (Rachel Weisz), and a cocky but fragile compulsive gambler with demons of her own (played exquisitely by Natalie Portman). The movie has all the hallmarks of the director – dazzling visual beauty, existentialist theme, rambling narrative, an array of lost souls, and a beautiful soundtrack that kept growing on me. However despite all his signature touches and the soothing flow, it somehow lacked that extra spark present in his masterpieces like Chungking Express and 2046. Consequently, I liked the movie, but it failed to stay with me.








Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Genre: Drama/Romantic Drama/Existentialist Drama/Road Movie
Language: English
Country: China (Hong Kong)

2 comments:

muthu said...

hmhm..

i loved the movie.. esp the visual display of colors and the music that resonates with the theme of the movie...

it is one of my fav s...

:)

Shubhajit said...

In that case I strongly recommend you to visit Wong Kar-Wai's earlier movies like Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love, 2046, Ashes of Time, Fallen Angels, etc. You'll realize this is a good movie allright and also really soothing for the nerves, but nowhere near his best work.