Today, we discussed Chungking Express in class. While I my initial reaction to the film was one of confusion, I enjoyed the experience of watching the movie and the feeling that it conveyed. To me, this movie is about heartbreak. For most of his storyline, officer 223 was waiting for his ex-girlfriend to return to him, hoping at the end that she’d call him and wish him a happy birthday. Similarly, officer 663 is struggling to forget his former lover, as his apartment is filled with memories of their time together. It takes the introduction of the two female leads into their lives, one who ends up giving 223 that phone call and another who redecorates 663’s apartment, for them to realize that there’s someone out there for them. Even though the main characters don’t necessarily end up together in the end, I was filled with a warm feeling knowing that in a city as busy and unattached as Hong Kong, these separate and distinct lives can intersect and make each other better, even if they only overlap briefly. So, to the man trying to convince tourists to eat at Khyber Pass, the family taking pictures in front of the Bruce Lee statue, and Larry the tailor, I hope that the ephemeral moments that characterized the overlapping of our lives were able to make your days just a little better.
