Fallen Angels

The night’s full of weirdos. FALLEN ANGELS: THE REPRISE Wong Kar-Wai often explores themes of missed connections, unrequited love, and memory, and it has yet to be more successful than in Fallen Angels. The Hong Kong-based director is at his most stylized and idiosyncratic in this film, and it pays dividends. Despite the film's very odd events, it never strays from its meaningful emotional center, and the ending further exemplifies this. The dialogue in this film is extremely quotable, and what might otherwise seem overly poetic works given the “dialogue” is most often inner monologue. Regarding the dialogue choices, the use of the term "partners" and its implications serve as a crucial piece of the films thesis. This is also one of the best-paced films ever. The 100-minute runtime feels little over 30 minutes. The unique approach to the cinematography of this film should also be noted. Cinematographer Christopher Doyle’s use of an ultra-wide-angle lens not only gives the film a unique field of view but also emphasizes the feeling of loneliness and alienation, while also giving the film a surreal quality. There is much ink to be spilled on the plot of this film, but it is best experienced firsthand. A once-in-a-generation film. **(5/5) ** p.s: the Chungking references were also very cool.