The opening scene of 2046 is a nod to the final scene of In the Mood for Love (2000), in which Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) confesses his feelings through a hole in Angkor Wat. The two films were actually shot at the same time, and Wong Kar Wai has even said that they should be treated as one film.

In 1966, Chow Mo-wan returns to Hong Kong from Singapore to begin his career as a writer, and, by chance, he moves into room 2047. The first story follows Lulu (Carina Lau Ka-ling), a woman he meets in a nightclub. The film then follows his relationship with Miss Wang (Faye Wong), the landlord’s eldest daughter, and then with Bai Ling (Zhang Ziyi), a courtesan who lives in room 2046. The final story focuses on a love affair between Chow and Su Li-zhen (Gong Li), a professional gambler, which takes place in the beginning of the film.

In this film, Wong Kar Wai not only pushes the envelope in terms of visual effects (1:2.33 widescreen) and musical arrangements (different variations and dance melodies), but he also enlisted the help of a French special effects company to create a low-tech futuristic world. As the conclusion of his Love Trilogy, 2046 is Wong Kar Wai’s magnum opus and even references the likes of Chungking Express (1994) and Happy Together (1997).

Wong Kar Wai (b. 1958, Shanghai) moved to Hong Kong when he was five. He was recognised as one of the most promising filmmakers with his first feature film, As Tears Go By in 1988. His works competed at Cannes, including Happy Together (1997), which won him Best Director; In the Mood for Love (2000); 2046 (2004); and My Blueberry Nights (2007). The Grandmaster (2013) that followed was the opening film of Berlin Film Festival that year. His most recent TV series Blossoms Shanghai (2023) was also a hit in China.