How do the chosen films, directed by Wong Kar-Wai represent the social issues in Hong Kong between 1984 to 1997?
Script:
The second Hong Kong new wave in cinema explores the social, yet cultural issues of Hong Kong before the handover from Britain to China in 1997.
"Hong Kong’s future as a vibrant cinematic center was put in doubt when the British handed over the tiny nation to mainland China in 1997, and many of its most talented directors, actors, and technicians fled to the West." Many of the Hong Kong residents were afraid of the change, they were fearful of the future due to the uncertainty of "China’s pledge to abide by the "one country, two systems" plan outlined in the agreement. They feared that China would drastically curtail the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents." "The very latest auteur produced by the second wave, Wong Kar-wai, focuses on the problem of identity in Hong Kong". In this video essay, I will be exploring how Wong portrays the themes of time, isolation and general social issues in three of his films which were released around the time of the handover - Chungking Express, Fallen Angels and In The Mood For Love.
Chungking Express (1994) contains “two shorter films stitched together, by only
the thinnest of threads” set around the Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong, Wong immediately captivates the feel of the location in the first few shots, conveying how busy/cramped Hong Kong was at that period of time, he does this using the smudge motion technique in both filming and editing, where the shots can make the audience feel a little disorientated, especially when the camera is moving as much as it is shown in this clip, variating from point of view shots to close up shots of the 'lady in the blonde wig'. This example ties into the first story where there is parallel editing of the lady in the blonde wig running, alongside the character 'Cop 223' doing the same thing.
What makes Chungking Express so memorable in the new wave is how Wong Kar Wai interprets the lack of identity in Hong Kong during this period. For context, The handover left the citizens uncertain and scared of what will happen to their home, thinking they will lose their voice on how they want to live - due to the "one country, two systems" pledge by China discussed before. Chungking Express explores this throughout all characters in the film. We hear Cop 223's name once in the entire film, and thats in the beginning of the narrative voiced by himself (clip). The lady in the blonde wig is never addressed by her name in the narrative either, this was an interesting move by Wong considering her character is seen for around half of the film. It isn't till the second narrative where Wong becomes a little more creative with the idea of loss of identity. Cop 663's name is mentioned once also, however the characters in the film, including the Midnight Express workers can't even remember Cop number, often mistaken with "Cop 633". Although a minor mistake, this holds significance in the film and in relation to the handover. I believe Wong Kar-Wai exaggerates this concept to sarcastically portray how people felt by the Chinese government, that they were all numbers that held no significance or voice in how the country lived; As said by Wong himself "I wanted to capture the mood of that period, and show what happened to the first generation that grew up after the war" - becoming uncertain and feeling unsafe in their own home environments.
The soundtrack also holds considerable amount of significance in Chungking Express, it is used commonly to evoke the emotion of the characters during the period of time in the handover - particularly in the character of Faye, in the second narrative. 'California Dreamin' by The Mama's and the Papa's is heard continuously and marks as a stamp for Faye when she's in a scene. The repetitive lyrics of "I'd be safe and warm if i was in LA" "California Dreaming on such a winters day" acts as a referral towards how Faye (and possibly the other citizens of Hong Kong) felt living in HK in that period of time, feeling unsafe and uncertain upon their futures. The ideology of love is heard within the soundtrack also through the song 'Dreamlover' (a cover of Dreams by The Cranberries) which is actually sung by Faye Wong, the actress of the character Faye, is describing her childlike love/crush and fantasy of Cop 663 - even though she never makes a move upon him. The romanticism of the characters in Chungking Express creates a tone of sadness as we never truly see a happy ending - especially in the case of 663 as he mourns for the love of his ex-girlfriend who left for her job of being an air-hostess. Wong uses this device in both the first and second narrative to represent to continuous sadness of Hong Kong and the lack of conclusion in both social and personal lifestyles, due to the ever-lasting lack of identity withheld by the citizens.
In the Mood for Love constructs most of its social issues throughout the mise-en scene. The narrative follows a man and a woman (Mr Chau and Mrs Chan) moving into a shared apartment with their spouses, two rooms next to each other. We later discover inexplicably that the spouses are seeing each other behind the two's back - what this leaves is Mrs Chan and Mr Chau trying to adjust to their lives in the small contained walls, whilst over time, incidentally falling for each other. The film also refers to time within the mise-en scene; "Wong Kar-Wai's visual style is intricate and complex as well as relentless, using a ticking clock as it's central metaphor - this is an obvious allusion to the 1997 syndrome yet again" due to the repetitive shots put together through the narrative, it's almost like the characters in the movie are fantasised by the idea of time, continuously watching in fear of the change of the handover - although it may not be relevant towards the narrative of this film, Wong assembles and scripts the narrative to represent the social issues of the time, which can be found surprising as
"Wong Kar-wai improvises quite a bit – rather than working from a script, the director prefers to let actors develop their characters and dialogue." offering various viewpoints to increase his evidence of life at the time.
Wong develops his construction within the mise-en scene creatively in 'In the Mood for Love'. The film is so contained that it features the same locations and shots at the same angle - almost like a the viewer is going round in circles, an interesting take from Wong to represent the attitude of life at the time - this can be shown in scenes from Chungking Express - where 223 eats pineapples every night until his ex girlfriend 'May's' birthday - with the date May 1st stamped and shown on the tin lids (where they would be expired). Rather than contacting May, 223 decides this is his only option and sign of hope, when in hignsight, he is hiding away from confrontation and reality. Back to In the Mood for Love, Wong expresses the characters of Mrs Chan and Mr Chau through gestures, rather than dialogue; this is due to the ideology that they're being watched and the fear of gossip from their landlords or society - I believe this is why Wong constantly uses double framing within his shots in the film - a way of visibly showing to the viewer that the two characters are 'entrapped' by society around them, that they have to present themselves in a certain manner; an allusion towards traditional values the Chinese government were planning to bring over into Hong Kong after the changeover. The story details the two's emotions and love for each other, whilst hiding away from society due to the fear of judgment and gossip - a tragic love story.
Finally, Fallen Angels - produced in 1995, consolidates the points I have raised above on what makes Wong Kar Wai unique as a director; in terms of representing the societal issues as a second wave director in Hong Kong. Wong shoots in similar locations in this film to Chungking Express, particularly - the Chungking Mansions and the Midnight Express restaurant. The film in many ways is similar to Chungking Express, in terms of the locations and more. One similarity I found immediately was Wong's use of Westernised music; like in Chungking Express the character 'Agent' is shown to use music as a way to escape her reality and her love for Wong(the male character whom she instructs killings for). The Crossover between Westernised and the Cantopop genre in Fallen Angels sets an undertone for Hong Kong, a suggestion of the influence that westernised culture has had on the nation. The escapism of the Agent could be a taken deeper, a subliminal message for the nation longing for the HK they already know. A further similarity is the lack of identity of the characters, As mentioned before, the 'Agent' is not named at all throughout the entire film, despite the character being featured for half of the narrative and having a considerably detailed storyline. This is also furthermore supported in the narrative as the Agent doesn't confront Wong on her love, therefore leaving herself in the dark; a subliminal message likewise to Chungking Express about how the citizens felt in the dark upon the future of their tiny nation.
