2046 (2004)
Wong Kar-Wai's haunting meditation on memory, longing, and the impossibility of recapturing lost love.
2046 - Movie Information
- Original Title: 2046
- Release Year: 2004
- Directed by: Wong Kar-Wai
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi, Romance
- Runtime: 2h 8m
- Original Language: Chinese
- Spoken Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, English
- Release Date (Theatrical): October 20, 2004 (France), October 29, 2004 (Italy)
- Alternative Titles: ニーゼロヨンロク (JP), Two Thousand and Fourty Six (US)
- Production Companies: Shanghai Film Group, Orly Films, Paradis Films, Classic Productions, Precious Yield, Jet Tone Production
- Production Countries: Germany, Hong Kong, China, France, Italy
2046 - Plot
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.
2046 - Trailer
Watch the official trailer and experience the film's dreamlike atmosphere:
Are you still in the mood for love?
Where to Watch 2046
Looking for where to watch 2046?
Compare all viewing options available in your region on JustWatch ↗
2046 - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Wong Kar-Wai
Main Cast
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai
- Gong Li
- Faye Wong
- Takuya Kimura
- Zhang Ziyi
- Dong Jie
- Carina Lau
- Chang Chen
- Maggie Cheung
- Thongchai McIntyre
Writers
- Wong Kar-Wai
Producers
- Wong Kar-Wai
2046 - FAQs
Where can you stream 2046 online?
2046 is available to stream on the Criterion Channel. It can also be rented or purchased on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, and Spectrum On Demand. Availability may vary by region, so check JustWatch for the most current options near you.
How does 2046 connect to In the Mood for Love?
2046 serves as a direct spiritual sequel to Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love (2000). It follows the same protagonist, Chow Mo-wan, played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai, as he processes his unresolved longing for Su Li-zhen and drifts through a series of new, ultimately unfulfilling romantic encounters.
What is 2046 about?
2046 follows Chow Mo-wan, a melancholic writer in 1960s Hong Kong who cannot let go of a past love. He writes a science fiction story set aboard a train bound for the year 2046, a place where nothing ever changes, while a series of women enter and exit his life, each unable to fill the void left behind.
Who are the main actors in 2046?
The film stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Chow Mo-wan, with Gong Li, Faye Wong, Zhang Ziyi, Takuya Kimura, Dong Jie, Carina Lau, Chang Chen, Maggie Cheung, and Thongchai McIntyre rounding out the ensemble cast.
What does the number 2046 mean in the film?
In the film, 2046 is both a hotel room number — the same room where Chow Mo-wan once shared an intimate connection — and the destination of a futuristic train in his fiction. It symbolizes a place frozen in time where people go to recapture lost memories, but from which no one ever returns changed.
Who directed 2046 and when was it released?
2046 was written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 and received its first theatrical releases in France on October 20, 2004, and in Italy on October 29, 2004, after a notoriously extended and evolving production process.
What genre is 2046?
2046 is primarily a Drama and Romance, with a layered Science Fiction strand woven through the protagonist's writing. It blends lyrical melodrama with fragmented, non-linear storytelling, making it as much a mood piece and art film as it is a conventional genre work.
How was 2046 received by critics?
2046 was widely praised by critics as a visually ravishing and emotionally complex achievement. Reviewers celebrated Christopher Doyle and Kwan Pung-Leung's luminous cinematography and the film's hypnotic tone. It holds strong ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and is regarded as one of Wong Kar-Wai's most ambitious and personal works.
More About 2046
Explore further details, ratings, and references for this film: