Fallen Angels

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 Fallen Angels [1995]

Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung

Direction by Wong Kar-wai

Language: Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese 


I managed to avoid revision for my upcoming exams for one last time to see Fallen Angels in the cinema! This movie was nothing like what I was expecting: just the name Fallen Angels seems like a movie with a primary focus on love: it is a Wong Kar-Wai movie after all! Although there was a love plot in the movie, it wasn't the main focus, which was interesting to see. 

If anything, Wong Kar-wai movies are known for their romance, and this movie presented love in a very different manner: it explored isolation, and the loss of love. It was quite interesting to see: love was exhibited in a way that was not just romantic and sexual; it was layered like many of his other movies are. It explored the idea of platonic love and love through what could be described as friendship. It explored the idea of familial love. It was a reflection on isolation: not one of the original love plots worked out in the end. Love was presented as one of conflict, and juxtaposition - relationships were always characterised as one sided: one person would be a dreamer, and almost obsessive about the idea of love and togetherness, and the other would be a realist, a cynic hardened by past experiences of romance. 

I am not one for action movies in general, but the way that it was handled: in a way where action was not the main focus and was used in a tasteful way, was inspiring to watch. Often, I find that movies, especially Western ones, just include action sequences for the sake of doing so, and so the movies often become quite repetitive, and dull. Action should only be used during climactic times, and that was the case here.

Wong Kar-wai, if anything, knows how to connect two individuals in the most fragile of ways: two of the main characters barely interact for a minute on screen, but the way the story was told meant that there was a beautiful connection between the characters, even if it was brief. Only Kar-wai can connect two individuals from worlds away by combining elements of the typical human experience: love, suffering, isolation, and longing. 

Kar-wai's use of music was also so significant: it was so beautifully embedded into the plot. It is safe to say that I know which songs I will next be adding to my playlist.    

Last but not least, cinematography! His work makes me challenge the ideas and artistic processes of  other directors. How he can manage to make time dilate in lengthy scenes of black and white, how he manages to give the bubbles in a fish tank so much worldly significance, how he can make ice cream a metaphor for being alone. How many people in the world can achieve such artistic feats? The answer is not many. 

Wong Kar-wai may have become my favourite director after this movie. 

10/10




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