Wong Kar-Wai
My Blueberry Nights

THE REVIEW

After the masterpiece "In the Mood for Love," through which the Chinese director became well-known as one of the leading filmmakers from the East, Wong Kar Wai pursued the idea of cinema as an escalation of sentiment-induced suffering. These feelings were the subject of exploration in "2046," the thematic sequel to "In the Mood for Love." However, "2046" failed to repeat the success of the previous film. This was the episode that changed Wai's artistic life: in 2006, he decided to venture to Hollywood and make his first English-language film, casting singer Norah Jones as the lead and also featuring other actors like Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and the phenomenal David Strathairn.

This shift in Wong Kar Wai's career is an attempt (not even too subtle) to "commercialize" his cinematic product, starting with the choice to use more well-known actors to attract attention. But Kar Wai has become a respected and appreciated director, especially for his delicate and refined way of bringing emotions to the big screen. He has done so with a lyricism rarely seen in cinema. This great ability is still present in My Blueberry Nights, released in 2007. The protagonist is Elizabeth (Norah Jones) who, to come to terms with her breakup with her boyfriend, takes refuge in a New York restaurant where she forms a strong friendship with Jeremy (Jude Law). An emotional relationship that gets interrupted when she leaves with the desire to find a good job and buy a car. On this journey, she will learn many things, taught by the characters she meets. All united by something tragic, touched in their lives by "difficult" events. Sue, Leslie, Arnie are all people who, for better or worse, will teach her something, help her grow and heal from her internal wounds.

A simple story, more stripped-down compared to "2046" and less refined, but decidedly closer to us, more modern also in the choice of locations. The strength of My Blueberry Nights - A Romantic Kiss lies precisely in being a common story, one that is frequently heard in metropolises these days. A film built on small scenes, sometimes even trivial but capable of moving with their simplicity, due to the excellent performance of the protagonists. Memorable are the sequences where Elizabeth discusses in the restaurant with Jeremy while eating blueberry pie and talking about lost keys...

Perhaps too stereotypical, perhaps too similar to many sentimental dramas of recent years, perhaps even childish but this film still manages to offer an hour and a half of good cinema thanks to the touch given by Kar Wai, who despite the Hollywood choice is still unmistakably one of the masters of sentimental cinema.

A good cinematic work to break the monotony of this hot summer. Rating 3 and a half.