Millennium Mambo

i love how incoherent this is. the pulsing electronic music, the switching between warm and cool tones with the neon lighting used, the absence of dialogue in scenes and us being left with the silence of vicky pondering in these memories of hers, or in other moments we have her narrations to explain her feelings and trains of thought, all contribute to this surreal, dreamlike feel to this film. the relationships explored here are also pretty interesting. with hao-hao, vicky's time in this relationship can't really be described as anything else besides claustrophobic, it seems. the atmosphere created by hao-hao is one of constant tension, with repeated arguments of the same issues associated with his distrust in vicky. we have a look into what a relationship that is mentally taxing, and vicky realises this, with the lack of communication leading to this rift between them. it's strange to see vicky's dependency in this chaotic lifestyle she lived during this time. we then have a stark contrast with jack, who brings a real breath of fresh air to the film. devoid of intensity (and romance at times), seems as if this relationship is one that is a little more open to interpretation instead of the typical boyfriend / girlfriend dynamic, and rather one of companionship. during this, vicky spends a lot more time alone due to the distance jack gives her, and she has a lot of time to reflect whether she wants the distance or the controlling aspect. it's intriguing to see how she never really fully embraced either dynamic fully, and it seemed like she always had one foot out the door in both periods of her life. it seems that both served as experiences for her future. the opening (being the literal opening and vicky in present day) to this film, with the occasional glance back feels like a brief remembrance to these times, and the passing through the tunnel feels as these are her steps into the future to come, and the cool neon lighting serve as an indication towards her isolation and her journeying into the unknown alone. an absolutely sensational watch, i love this so much. shu qi, what a performance, you have rocked my world.