2046

"Are you still in the mood for love?"

2004 2h 8m ZH

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

87%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 1,131🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes●78Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 65,046

DramaScience FictionRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Women enter and exit a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.

“Are you still in the mood for love?”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Spectrum On DemandRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Chow Mo-wan
Gong Li
Black Spider / Su Li-zhen
Faye Wong
Wang Jing-wen / Android
Takuya Kimura
Tak
Zhang Ziyi
Bai Ling
Dong Jie
Wang Jie-wen
Carina Lau
Lulu / Mimi / Android
Chang Chen
Mimi's Boyfriend

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Writers: Wong Kar-Wai
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese
Countries: Germany, Hong Kong, China, France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: Germany, Hong Kong, China, France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Love Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Wong Kar-Wai, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shigeru Umebayashi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Chang Suk-Ping shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Gong Li and Faye Wong carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wong Kar-Wai directs. Christopher Doyle behind the camera. Shigeru Umebayashi scores. William Chang Suk-Ping cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Germany, Hong Kong, China, France, Italy. Dialogue in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese.
3International production across 5 countries: Germany, Hong Kong, China, France, Italy.
4Part of the "Love Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Wong Kar-Wai, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Shigeru Umebayashi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor William Chang Suk-Ping shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Gong Li and Faye Wong carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Are you still in the mood for love?".
10IMDB entry: tt0212712 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11The top-rated still from this film on TMDB has 4 community votes — a signal the frame composition stuck with viewers.
12Classified under 21 themes, including "android", "regret", "lovesickness", "jealousy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Doyle
Original score: Shigeru Umebayashi
Editing: William Chang Suk-Ping
Costume design: William Chang Suk-Ping
Makeup / hair: Kwan Lee-Na
Runtime: 128 min · 2h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Box office: $20,205,757
Return: 168% of budget
Original language: ZH
IMDB: 2046 (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 78/100
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 65,046 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

38 wins & 81 nominations total

European Film Award for Best Non-European Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Love Trilogy

Also by

Wong Kar-Wai

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-09-04
★ 7/10
Another classic effort from Wong Kar-wai, this time with a touch of sci-fi added to his usually potent mix of romance and strong characters. Tony Leung reprises his role from "In the Mood for Love" (2000) as "Chow mo-wan" who has now returned to Hong Kong to write his book - about a land called "2046". As he writes, he forms relationships of varying degrees of importance with four women but the more he tries to forget his past, the harder it is for him to move on, to escape from the memories of his now late wife. Is that the goal of "2046" - memories never die, never exist - time stands still? Leung handles this emotional tsunami of a film with aplomb, and as usual, there is a wonderfully eclectic soundtrack to keep the sense of confusion working nicely, too. Maybe a touch too long - but still an absorbing piece of cinema from a man who can juggle concepts and characterisations with some considerable skill.
griggs792024-12-01
★ 7/10
2046 is a visual treat, embodying Wong Kar-wai’s trademark dreamlike style. However, it falls short in delivering the emotional impact of In the Mood for Love. Tony Leung's performance is a standout, but the fragmented narrative and slow pacing create a sense of detachment. The film's exploration of love and memory is intriguing, but it tends to dwell too much on melancholy, losing some of the elegance that defined its predecessor. Despite its unevenness, 2046 leaves a lasting impression, not quite reaching its full potential.