Wong Kar-wai's films are cinema at its most sensuous; a dizzying rush of stunning visuals and bittersweet stories about love gone wrong, full of pensive voiceovers from romantic loners adrift in sprawling cities.
Here are some of his best ones and the people that have made them happen.
His films...
Chungking Express
This quirky little film was made in just 23 days during a break from shooting martial arts epic Ashes of Time. It's a neon-drenched whirlwind pulsing with frantic energy, playful charm and offbeat characters as two cops (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung) try to patch up their broken hearts after getting dumped, all to the sound of California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas on repeat.
In The Mood For Love
Unrequited love has never seemed as seductive as it does in this romantic tour de force. It's a masterclass in the erotic power of restraint revolving around two neighbours (Leung and Maggie Cheung) who fall for each other under rain-lashed street lamps after discovering their spouses are having an affair. Sublimely shot with an exquisite score, their tentative romance unfolds with hypnotic beauty.
Days of Being Wild
Sharing the same Chinese name as Rebel Without a Cause, Days of Being Wild features a James Dean-style playboy (Leslie Cheung) crushing hearts as casually as he picks fights. There's a languid grace to this moody breakthrough feature about angst and alienation. Its characters make friends for one minute - a pinprick in time now unforgettable - but are desperately searching for more.
Happy Together
This raw love story about a gay couple (Cheung and Leung) trapped in a vicious cycle of breakups and reconciliation feels searingly authentic. Stranded in Buenos Aires, the two lovers tango, bicker and fight but just can't keep away; their passion thunders with the intensity of their dream destination Iguazu Falls. A poetic exploration into the loneliness of loving someone who can't love you back.
2046
A sort of sequel to In The Mood For Love, which jumps between Hong Kong in the 1960s and a sci-fi fantasy of the year 2046, about a writer (Leung) and his doomed romances. It's populated by characters struggling to cope with the heavy burden of the past, even those falling for faulty robots in the not too distant future. A beguiling meditation on regret, longing and the scars love leaves behind.
His collaborators...
Christopher Doyle
The self-proclaimed "Keith Richards of cinematography" is fond of drinking, swearing and drop dead gorgeous images. Self-taught Aussie Doyle helped Kar-wai hone his iconic style using hyper-kinetic camera work, dreamy lighting and gloriously saturated colours. But after eight masterful collaborations, the pair have not worked together since the film 2046 in 2004.
William Chang
A man of many talents who's notoriously shy but as influential as Doyle on Kar-wai's aesthetic. Chang has worked on all of his films juggling roles as art director, costume designer and film editor. From In The Mood For Love and 2046's ravishing wardrobe of cheongsams to The Grandmaster's ornate brothel, he painstakingly creates the right look for each character and set with an obsessive eye for detail.
Tony Leung
Kar-wai's enduring muse, who has worked with the director on seven of his films, once described him as "a kind of soulmate". His finest performance was as the buttoned-up husband in In The Mood For Love but he's also magnificent as a lovesick policeman talking to soap in Chungking Express. Next up, the pair will be working together on The Ferryman, another tale of forbidden love.
Maggie Cheung
Former beauty queen Cheung credits Kar-wai for changing the direction of her career from blockbuster eye candy to serious actress by casting her in his debut film As Tears Go By. Whether it's quietly lamenting lost love in Ashes of Time or crying silently over an impossible affair in In The Mood For Love, she is nothing less than astonishing.
Leslie Cheung
Before his tragic suicide in 2003, Cantopop superstar Cheung did some remarkable work with Kar-wai; he smoulders as a callous womaniser in Days of Being Wild, mopes around as a heartbroken swordsman in Ashes of Time and rages petulantly against his ex in Happy Together. The actor even came out after starring in the gay romance - a rare move in the Chinese entertainment industry.
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