Scenes I Go Back To: Fallen Angels

I have to confess that I actually don’t remember all that much of Fallen Angels, Wong Kar-Wai’s sequel (of sorts) to his wonderful Chungking Express.  Perhaps that’s because Chungking Express is such a delightful and concise little film, whereas Fallen Angels always felt a bit more morose and sprawling to me.

However, the movie’s final scene—in which Michelle Reis and Takeshi Kaneshiro share a fleeting moment of connection while riding through a neon-drenched Hong Kong to the sounds of Yaz’s “Only You” as sung by the Flying Pickets’ (!)—remains firmly lodged within my subconscious.

Watch for the puff of smoke from Kaneshiro’s cigarette in the final seconds.  It’s a fleeting, ephemeral image, and as such, is a perfect visual metaphor for human connection and existence, and the frailty of both—common themes in Wong Kar-Wai’s oeuvre.

This entry is part of my August blogging project, “Scenes I Go Back To”.