7 hong Kong Cinema Favorites from Director Wong Kar Wai, Restored and Streaming
We’re excited to see that many of director Wong Kar Wai’s greatest works are streaming online. It’s time to watch these movies once more, or for the first time.
As Tears Go By
Release: 1988 Streaming service: max Genre: Crime / Drama
Love for a distant relative causes a Chinese gangster to consider leaving the Triad, but despite his best efforts, circumstances and problems caused by an errant younger brother keep pulling him back into the lifestyle.
Characters speak Cantonese; no dubbed English version is available. The movie is available with English subtitles; no Chinese subtitles are available.
Days of Being Wild
Release: 1990 Streaming service: max Genre: Romantic, drama
Yuddy, a Hong Kong playboy known for breaking girls’ hearts, tries to find solace and the truth after discovering the woman who raised him isn’t his mother.
Characters speak Cantonese; no dubbed English version is available. The movie is available with English subtitles; no Chinese subtitles are available.
Chungking Express
Release: 1994 Streaming service: max Genre: Drama
Every day, Cop 223 buys a can of pineapple with an expiration date of May 1, symbolizing the day he’ll get over his lost love. He’s also got his eye on a mysterious woman in a blond wig, oblivious of the fact she’s a drug dealer. Cop 663 is distraught with heartbreak over a breakup. But when his ex drops a spare set of his keys at a local cafe, a waitress lets herself into his apartment and spruces up his life.
Characters speak Mandarin and Cantonese; no dubbed English version is available. The movie is available with English subtitles; no Chinese subtitles are available.
Fallen Angels
Release: 1995 Streaming service: max Genre: Crime / Drama
An assassin, his boss, an entrepreneur and two women cross paths in Hong Kong as their professional and love lives collide and influence each other, mostly without their knowledge.
Characters speak Cantonese; no dubbed English version is available. The movie is available with English subtitles; no Chinese subtitles are available.
Happy Together
Release: 1997 Streaming service: max Genre: Drama
Happy Together is the story of two men who move to Argentina. The move puts additional stress on their already fractured relationship.
Characters speak Cantonese; no dubbed English version is available. The movie is available with English subtitles; no Chinese subtitles are available.
In the Mood for Love
Release: 2000 Streaming service: max Genre: Romantic, drama
In the Mood for Love is a classic Cantonese language film about infidelities, lies, and confrontation. Set in 1962 Hong Kong, the story follows two couples who are neighbors in their Hong Kong apartment complex. Over time, a friendship forms between Mr. Chow and Ms. Su, and they begin to fall for each other. They learn that their own spouses are cheating on them.
Characters speak Cantonese; no dubbed English version is available. The movie is available with English subtitles; no Chinese subtitles are available.
2046
Release: 2004 Streaming service: The Criterion Channel, Mubi Genre: Crime / Drama
He was a writer. He thought he wrote about the future but it really was the past. In his novel, a mysterious train left for 2046 every once in a while. Everyone who went there had the same intention… to recapture their lost memories. It was said that in 2046, nothing ever changed. Nobody knew for sure if it was true, because nobody who went there had ever come back – except for one. He was there. He chose to leave. He wanted to change.
Characters speak Cantonese and Mandarin; no dubbed English version is available. The movie is available with English subtitles; no Chinese subtitles are available.
So, what did you think of this list? Which movies were most influential in your life? Let us know in the comments. And let us know too if we missed your favorite Wong Kar Wai film.
