Chung King Express
Kar-Wai Wong (people say “Wong Kar-Wai”) made Chung King Express (Chong Qing Sen Lin) in 1994 as a break from an epic film that he was having trouble finishing (I believe Ashes of Time). The film was shot in about two months, without a script.
The film is visually astonishing; the stylized cinematography is a transformative experience regardless of whether you understand the story. I’m not sure there really is a story, actually. At first, you’re following a woman involved in a complex international crime operation; but then it’s about a love-struck police officer; and then finally, about another love-struck police officer.
Although quite different in style and substance, Chung King Express conjures a visceral experience akin to Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil. If the imaginary and the visionary provide you with spiritual sustenance, this film will satisfy.