How Wong Kar Wai Captures Loneliness and Heartbreak in Chungking Express

Chungking Express became a darling of cinema almost overnight, despite having no script and being filmed in just 23 days while Wong Kar Wai was on hiatus from his 40 million HKD epic Ashes of Time.

With stylish cinematography, lonely policemen, and the two coolest women in Hong Kong (Brigitte Lin and Faye Wong), it was inevitable that it would connect with audiences far outside of China.

A film that embodies the flutter of a relationship’s honeymoon period, Chungking Express is simultaneously made for the heartbroken. It explores melancholy, closure, and a maelstrom of opportunity through unusual characters: manic pixie-dream girls and sexy policemen.

Take the scene, for example, where Cop 663 (Tony Leung) goes to collect a letter from his ex-girlfriend spelling the end of their relationship. He procrastinates for as long as possible, eventually leaving without taking the letter. In what could otherwise be a fairly mundane moment, Wong Kar Wai and his partner in crime Christopher Doyle employ a fascinating cinematic style to control the viewer’s gaze and fasten attention.

In the foreground of the shot, a time-lapse occurs of passers-by going about their day, while in the background, Cop 663 and Faye appear almost in slow motion. The resulting juxtaposition can be interpreted in a myriad of ways, but what you literally see is two characters stuck in time. Cop 663 yearns for his ex-girlfriend, and Faye longs for Cop 663, both waiting for a moment, kairos, the “Right Place, Right Time.”

To film a scene in this way is complex compared to simply hitting record, but here a layered and creative idea is made concise.

While, typically, films are made at 24 frames per second (as close to how human eyes perceive as one can get), this scene instead cleverly films at 12 frames per second, duplicating each frame to induce a jittery effect. This is paired with the stylish blur of the foreground, created organically by an ever-so-slightly slower shutter speed. Simply put, it is a combination of step printing and undercranking. As for how the people in the foreground appear to move in fast-forward while Cop 663 and Faye move in slow motion? Well, that part is deceivingly simple. Tony Leung and Faye Wong are essentially just moving very, very… very slowly.

A film for the hopeless romantics as well as the lonesome souls, and admirers of trendsetting filmmakers.

Chungking Express screens as part of ValenTyneside from Friday the 14th February 2025, and you can book tickets now.