Chungking Express

Holy fuck... Just holy fuck. Shame on me, man. I’ve heard about this Wong Kar-wai guy from my friends all the time, especially from my sister. All that praise and shit... Why the fuck haven't I watched this movie before? Fuck me, really.

This is my first Wong Kar-wai movie, and oh my god... he’s one hell of a director. The vibes, the shots, the characters, the dialogue, and the music—it’s all beautifully done. This is everything I could ask from a movie and then so much fucking more. Every scene feels familiar in a way, like a fever dream I had years ago. It’s like I’m finally remembering that dream.

I don’t know, man. I don't know how to put this movie into words. And that’s exactly what I love about it. This is VISUAL ART. You can’t explain it; you have to experience it. That’s my favorite thing about fictional content. I’m an artist. I draw. I usually work for small indie game studios, but I’m also developing my own game. And as an artist, what I look for in the work I consume is ORIGINALITY. A piece of art should stand out so it stays with you.

I consume these things to feel the ideas inside the director's head, the characters, and the emotions they’re trying to convey and this director’s mind truly fascinated me. No crazy plotlines, no shocking plot twists... No. Just the ordinary lives of a few people out of the thousands we see every day. Ordinary... Normal... Just... Feelings...

I didn’t look for expectations while watching; I just let myself go with the flow and enjoyed the moment. I loved almost every second of that hour and a half. "If memories could be canned, would they also have expiry dates? If so, I hope they last for centuries." I don’t want to watch this movie again. I want it to slowly fade into my memories and have those incredible shots flash in my mind like a blur. Sometimes, you just gotta let it go, man. Also it looks like California Dreaming will be on my playlist for a long time.

The time you consume a piece of art significantly affects how much it hits you. I don’t know if the version of me from two years ago the one who loved partying and roaming the streets—would have been this moved by this movie. But the me of today, who lives in the moment and finds peace in silence and solitude, fell head over heels in love with it.

So, maybe I watched it at exactly the right time... who knows? Sometimes you don't find the art; the art finds you when you're ready for it.