Chungking+Express 

Chungking Express is a film that is made up of two separate stories. Both stories evolve around different cops who got dumped, and although the two stories do not interact with one another, they still share a central theme. Both men wants their girlfriend back, but what they really need is to get over their girlfriends, or just simply love. The lighting, cinematography, editing and sound all helps build mood film create a deeper meaning rather than just showing the story of two broken hearted men.

Although most of the storyline occurs in possibly anywhere in Hong Kong, the use of lighting changes vividly depending on the scene and changes the mood of the movie. For example, in the scene where the 2nd cop, #633 coincidentally meets his ex-girlfriend in the convenient store and learns that she’s seeing someone else, the lighting is very colorful. His face is warmly lighted, yet this does not correspond with what he is feeling at all. With everything around him being very colorful, including shades of green, blue, and yellow, this lighting contradicts with the mood of this scene. However, this contradiction is what enhances one of the themes of the movie. Although the lighting suggests a lively and joyful mood, Cop 633 is actually lonely and wounded internally. This creates a paradox, suggesting that even though Hong Kong is densely packed and busy, the people are all lonely most of the time, and they shut themselves (or are shut out) from the concrete jungle of the city that is seemingly full of energy. Also, although the scene is colorful, the overall tone is also slightly dark, suggesting his inner sadness.

Just like the overall style of the movie, the Cinematography is not overly fancy or eye grabbing. There are a lot of over the shoulder shots and medium shots, which brings the audience into the movie, and the ordinary lives of each character. Not only so, a lot of times no matter what kind of shot it is, there are objects around and close to the camera that takes up space, but does not interfere or block the audience’s view. For example, in a shot of the diner’s owner talking to Cop 633, the camera is placed in between two walls, only showing parts of the diner. This naturally draws the audience into the scene, and gives us a feeling that we are in the movie, taking a sneak peak of their lives. These kind of shots allows the audience to more easily embrace the mood and tone of the movie, and effectively maximizes the effect of the sound and lighting. The editing of this film is fairly subtle overall, with jump cuts that speed up the pace of the movie and shows the elapse of time. For example, when Cop Qiwu was eating all 30 cans of expired pineapples, the film didn’t show him eating all thirty, but a few shots of him eating a few cans. Another notable editing technique in this film is the use of slow motion. This stands out from the rather fast paced editing, and really catches the attention of the audience, and brings them to think instead of simply watching the movie. Many scenes that are in slow motion are also scenes that involve intense action, and in this case, the use of slow motion adjusts the pace of the intense scene so that the movie doesn’t turn into an action movie.

The sound is, to me, one of the most important things that contributes to the film. Most of the sounds in this movie are diegetic, and they’re sounds that we can hear in our everyday life. However, one sound that stood out to me is the music. The song “California Dreamin’” serves as both a diegetic and non-diegetic sound throughout the movie. Unlike music in other movies, this song constantly interact with the characters. The song “California Dreamin’”, just like its title, is about the singer dreaming about the warm California on a cold, winter day. This song contains a strong layer of meaning, and serves as a symbol in a way. This song is Faye’s favorite, and she plays it all the time, usually very loudly. In fact, every time the song goes on in the movie, the scene is usually showing Faye doing things that she enjoy a lot, bringing a happy and light mood. Also, the fact that she was listening to “California Dreamin’” when she first meets Cop 633, who she soon falls in love with, also suggests that this song can mean a lot to Faye. The longing “California” here is like a paradise that everyone desires, and it implies every character’s need of love, which is a theme of this movie. In fact, at the end of the movie, Faye actually went to California, and when she got back, she didn’t described California as “okay”. In the end, when she wrote up a boarding pass asking Cop 633 where he wants to go, he said he’ll go where ever she takes him. These all suggest that it’s not the destiny that’s important, but who you travel with, which connects to the theme of genuine love that hides behind all the fancy things in Hong Kong.