FOR HIS FIRST ENGLISH-LANGUAGE FILM, HONG KONG DIRECTOR WONG KAR-WAI EXPLORES HIS FAVOURITE THEMES OF LOVE AND LOSS IN THE TRADITIONAL FORMAT OF A ROAD MOVIE.
Wrapped in an evocative Ry Cooder soundtrack that hits all the right notes and emotions, the film meanders from New York to Tennessee and Nevada. The America on view is visually stunning, but there are distinct echoes of Wong’s earlier work, especially In the Mood for Love, in the way the auteur reflects on loneliness and romance. Singer Norah Jones makes an impressive acting debut as Elizabeth. Still in the throes of recovering from a five-year relationship, she turns up in a New York diner run by an Englishman (Jude Law). He serves her the blueberry pie that always seems to be left over at the end of the evening. To try and sort out her life, Elizabeth takes to the open road and ends up in Memphis, where her job as a waitress brings her into contact with an ageing cop (David Strathairn) and his younger wife (Rachel Weisz). Her next port of call is a Nevada casino, where she links up with Leslie (Natalie Portman), a feisty if ill-fated gambler. The two of them take to the road together in a pairing that has distinct resonances of Thelma and Louise in the bonding female friendship. A clutch of strong performances, the stunning visual style and the accessibility of his script (co-written by Lawrence Block) should find Wong a whole new set of admirers. —Richard Mowe.