The Style and Themes of Wong Kar-wai
Amongst the plethora of typical Hong Kong comedy, fantasy, and Jet Li-like action films, Wong Kar-wai emerged as a promising director in the late ’80s as part of the Second New Wave of Hong Kong filmmakers who studied the nation’s social and political issues. Averaging one film every two years, Wong is a prolific director, whose style has become frequently imitated in Hong Kong. As evidenced by Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love, Wong’s films are slightly experimental character pieces that focus on the critical and recurring themes of time, detachment and isolation in spite of an aberrant and consistently inconsistent style. (…)