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Review
by Kozo: |
The Wong Kar-Wai aesthetic can be light and breezy – as in the much-beloved Chungking Express – but what happens when you replace the word “breezy” with “zany”? You get See You Tomorrow, an over-the-top romance-comedy produced by Wong Kar-Wai that explores the auteur’s pet obsessions while forcefully shoving wackiness down your throat. Originally titled The Ferryman, the film is based on a short story from the collection “I Belonged To You” by Zhang Jiajia, who's also credited as the film adaptation's director. Eternal Wong Kar-Wai leading man Tony Leung Chiu-Wai stars as Chen Mo, who runs a bar called "See You Tomorrow" alongside property owner Guan Chung (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Chen Mo is also a "ferryman" who helps people through figurative troubled waters until they regain their footing on dry land. Basically, Chen Mo guides individuals through the five stages of grief, though the film’s Chinese equivalent consists of only four stages. Regardless, if you're in the midst of some tough times, Chen Mo has the skills to get you through.
Naturally, Chen Mo's ferrying talents are used mostly for matters of the heart – the existential fruit filling of Wong Kar-Wai cinematic confections past, present and probably forever, as shown by that time he made a film about Ip Man's dating history. These are well-trod but affecting themes and they make See You Tomorrow into an instantly-recognizable Jet Tone production. The loose script, co-written by Wong Kar-Wai and Zhang Jiajia, delves heavily into the love lives of its characters. Ten years ago, Guan Chung loved Mao Mao (Sandrine Pinna), and when she resurfaces as the chef of a local bing (flour cake) eatery, Guan Chung resolves to help her sell as much bing as possible. Meanwhile, neighbor Xiao Yu (Angelababy) has an everlasting crush on rocker Ma Lik (Eason Chan), who recently broke up with his longtime love Jiang Jie (Lynn Xiong). Realizing that Ma Lik needs to be "ferried," Chen Mo teaches Xiao Yu to be Ma Lik's ferryman, leading to some heartrending and/or wacky training cases featuring cameos by familiar and not-so-familiar actors.
The ferrying training also helps Xiao Yu, who must deal with her lifelong affection for Ma Lik, plus it reminds Chen Mo of his most cherished love, bartender He Muzi (Du Juan). Both those relationships stretch back ten years – just like Guan Chung's affection for Mao Mao – which allows the story threads to parallel one another and gives the filmmakers license to use Eason Chan's classic "Ten Years" on the packed-with-hits soundtrack. The narrative lurches between storylines abruptly, sometimes sidelining characters for long stretches (Kaneshiro disappears for almost the entire third act), with the whole thing tied together by voiceover from Leung, who’s done this in so many Wong Kar-Wai films that it feels like he's parodying himself. See You Tomorrow mines the same romantic existentialism, the same swelling affection or crippling heartbreak as all those Wong Kar-Wai films that you fell in love with twenty years ago, but it does so with outlandish storylines and unfathomable randomness that can be alienating. Varying mileage is guaranteed.
See You Tomorrow is basically a zany Hong Kong comedy told in opulent Wong Kar-Wai style. Accompanying the ridiculous storylines, anime-like double takes, and over-the-top everything else are blindingly awesome production values. The film’s look is excessive and super-glossy, like a luxury magazine photo spread with perfectly made-up models bathed in neon light. The soundtrack echoes the pop-art sensibilities, with very well-known songs showing up every three or four minutes. The result is pleasing but pandering – a faux-pretentious candy-colored confection that isn't really as hip as it wants to be. The film’s poser status actually makes sense, if you think about it. Once upon a time, Wong Kar-Wai movies were the domain of plugged-in culturatti, but just like Apple products everyone has experienced Wong's thing and the latest iteration is now an obnoxiously souped-up rehash of models past. Instead of soulful cops pining away in dive bars, we get Armani-garbed "ferrymen" chugging high-end Budweiser while power-drifting Initial D-style to yet another gaudy nightclub. Leslie Cheung's character in Days of Being Wild would have hated these people.
All that said, See You Tomorrow can still be enjoyed for its opulent looks and obvious familiarity. Given the prolonged wait between Wong Kar-Wai works, even a loose, exaggerated pastiche of his ideas and iconography can please his fanbase. Casting Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro is a huge part of this equation. Both cut their art-house teeth on Wong Kar-Wai films, and echo previous performances here. Kaneshiro, in particular, hits the nostalgia nerve with an over-the-top turn that recalls the quirky, lovelorn outsiders he played decades ago. Leung is pretty much on cruise control, which is only a problem if you're looking for something new from Hong Kong's most decorated actor. Both Angelababy and Lynn Xiong show they've got abilities beyond their model looks, while Eason Chan and Sandrine Pinna perform comfortably. As a Wong Kar-Wai reunion and celebration, the film does a decent job of name-checking the old while ushering in some of the potential new. If that means we'll see future Jet Tone movies starring Angelababy and Sandrine Pinna, I'm down with that.
But the surprise that once characterized Wong Kar-Wai is gone. Reinvention of this particular Wong aesthetic is needed because exaggerated riffs on Chungking Express play like smug self-indulgence. Wong probably couldn't even make Fallen Angels (or produce First Love – The Litter on the Breeze) nowadays because this style has been done to death, and now seems pandering. Also, at over two hours the film is incredibly long-winded, and its climax – which involves Angelababy binge drinking in a manner that should logically poison someone her size – is repellent instead of amusing, affecting or whatever emotion they were going for. In the end, the film probably works best as self-referential nostalgia for Wong Kar-Wai super-fans who could use some ferrying themselves. If you can't let go of Hong Kong Cinema's past glories, See You Tomorrow can ferry you through your sorrow and regret to the dry land where Hong Kong Cinema is really dead, Wong Kar-Wai makes movies once every eight years, and Zhang Yimou just directed The Great Wall. On second thought, eternal heartbreak might be a better place to be.
(Kozo, 4/2017) |
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