My Blueberry Nights
Year: 2007
Director: Wong Kar Wai
Writer: Wong Kar Wai, Lawrence Block,
Starring: Norah Jones, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman, David Strathairn, Frankie Faison,
Wong Kar Wai landed his first English language film in 2007 to mixed reviews. That’s no surprise considering how this feels very much like a parallel universe Wong Kar Wai film at times and a cinematic impersonation of his style at others. If I’d watched it blind, then I would have assumed it was an independent American filmmaker attempting to pay homage to the Hong Kong master of complex relationships and soul searching. That’s not to say this film is awful, nor is it bad at all, but coming to a film as a Wong Kar Wai fan means that the references don’t sit easily and the cast seem to struggle with the material at points. Then again, that could just be biased opinion focusing on what was similar rather than looking for how Wong attempts to change his style. No matter what, there is one inescapable truth, and that’s the fact it is impossible not to draw comparisons with Wong’s previous work.
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