A sequel to the 2001 romantic film "In the Mood for Love", this is a romantic epic that deals with the love affair of a journalist and a woman living in the same hotel. 

Chow Mo Wan played by Tony Leung Chiu Wai is a former journalist turned novelist. The story takes place in 1966, in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. Chow returns to Hong Kong after spending a few years in Singapore. He loves ladies and their company. He had a romantic affair with Su Li Zhen (Maggie Cheungi) which ended up in a disaster. The memories of that affair is still haunting Chow.

Now, Chow is writing a sci-fi novel named "2046", set in the year 2046, the year in which Hong Kong will be integrated into main land China and it happens to be the number of the room that he shared many years back with Su Li Zhen. In his story, a passenger has boarded a train that is heading for 2046 and he cannot get off train for whatever reason. His future and destiny is absolutely decided by the direction of the train which couldn't change it's course of travel. 

Chow has been spending a lot of time in the local nightclubs looking for companionship and having one night stands. One day he runs into Lulu (Carina Lou) whom he knew from Singapore.  He accompanied her to her hotel room and it happens to be the same room 2046, which he had shared with Su Li Zhen. He is overwhelmed by the memories of his last love affair and wants to have a repetition of it. So he decides to rent the room next to it and develops an affair with Lulu. But this time he doesn't just stop with Lulu, but keep on having affairs with his landlord's daughter (Faye Wong) and another elegant lady (Gong Li). In the meantime he works on his novel "2046". Find out more about this charismatic lover and his many faces of love. 

Director Wong Kar Wai narrates a gorgeous romantic story with great charm. He touches issues like love, loneliness and regret. Music is brilliantly adopted to create an exotic mood for the audience. He draws excellent performance out of the cast. With an elegantly passionate tale, he is trying to show the world what a romantic film should be. He has succeeded in converting passion into pictures. 

Tony Leung Chiu Wai, winner of many national and international awards for the Best Actor, presents a wonderful performance as Chow. As a lover he is dashing and debonair and has charm and charisma. He portrays the many faces of a lover and the search for love and companionship, wonderfully. His anxiety and the lack of luck in timing things right, is notable. Towards the end he is heartbroken and for him, love is unexpected and unreturned. Performance by Zhang is very good. All other actresses are great. 

It is not a simple story of love affairs. The underlying complications and imaginative recollections of romances and affairs create an emotionally resonant film. The music, costumes and editing are astonishingly wonderful. The director is trying to deliver a message to the world that people need to have a place in their heart to store certain memories, hopes and dreams. Even though the film is in Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles, you will enjoy this wonderful masterpiece.

We rate this movie VERY GOOD.