This is my second time seeing this film and it struck me just as much as my first viewing. Kar-wai’s handheld camera gives the film such an intimate feel, identifying all these nice visual elements, such as the rotating CDs in the jukebox. The technique he uses twice in the second story, of the main characters in slow motion while the rest of the scene appears sped up in time lapse is especially memorable. The first time conveys a shared isolation, the second a true loneliness. I don’t know what else I could say about the visual style in brief, because it deserves a more thorough write-up.
I love everything else about the film as well. Each actor gives off their own unique style. They exude their characters. The story is concerned with love and heartbreak, but deals with it in many forms. Both the men are heartbroken. Both have been dumped. Both have their physical attachments to the previous relationship: 223 have his pineapples, which he ultimately devours, and 663 has his belongings, which are eventually replaced. You could make a list of a comparison between the two men and their relationship between the four women. I’m not sure what you would come up with. The two stories just fit so well together.
I think it is difficult for me to talk about this movie because there’s so much in it. But that’s why I love it so much, it’s a beautiful film with two engaging stories filled with terrific actors. I just feel like I need to watch this movie more and more before I can say anything enlightening about it. It engages a romanticism in me that’s inspiring.
SIX PLUS SIX 