Courtesy of MUBI / YouTube
Courtesy of MUBI / YouTube
Immerse into the three movies that informally make up the world of Blossoms Shanghai, which stars actor and singer Hu Ge as Mr. Bao.
Award-winning Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai has just released a new trailer for his directorial comeback, a series called Blossoms Shanghai. Hints about his new project have been floating around since 2019, with the first official teaser debuting in 2021.
The series stars Hu Ge as Mr. Bao and is based on the Jin Yucheng novel “Blossoms,” which follows three individuals during the Chinese cultural revolution. If that setting rings a bell for fans of the directors work, there’s a reason for that. Wong has previously disclosed to the press that Blossoms Shanghai will be thematically tied to the world’s of his previous movies, In The Mood For Love and 2046, which also make up an informal trilogy with his 1990 movie Days of Being Wild.
The Shanghai-born director considers the project deeply personal, having left China’s finance capital at 19. In a previous interview, Wong said that “This is my opportunity for me to fill in all the things that I have missed.”
Ahead of his first project since 2013, here are three of Wong Kar-Wai’s films tied to the universe of Blossoms Shanghai ahead of its highly anticipated release:
Days Of Being Wild
The 1990 film Days of Being Wild was Wong Kar-Wai’s second ever feature film. Set in 1960s Hong Kong, and follows the handsome and seductive Luddy (played by Leslie Cheung) and Li-zhen (played by Maggie Cheung) who is hoplessly in love with him. Luddy ends up on an unwitting journey of self-discovery, and a quest to find his birthmother, which includes a detour to the Philippines.
In The Mood For Love
The critically aclaimed 2000 film In The Mood For Love is arguably Wong’s most influential and recognized work. The movie is often included in lists like Empire’s 100 Best Films of Cinema or BBC’s 21st Century’s 100 Greatest Films.
The story is once again set in 1960s Hong Kong and follows two individuals played by Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, who connect first us neighbors then as the victims of their spouses affair. The two end up developing feelings for one another, amidst a rapidly changing economic landscape.
2046
Chow Mo-Wan, Tony Leung’s character in In The Mood For Love, makes another appearance in the 2004 film, 2046. The story, which is named after the hotel room Chow and Su Li-zhen meet in to write their martial arts serial in the In The Mood For Love, is set immediately after their romance concludes and tackles four main story arcs. Chow Mo-wan is the main character and narrator of the film.
