MUBI Celebrates Hong Kong Auteur, Wong Kar-Wai by Releasing His 7 Best Films Available to Stream

By Ameera Rosli  •  17 Jan 2022 in Features

Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

For lovers of film, MUBI is the platform to discover hidden gems.

JUICE in the past has covered several local diamonds in the rough such as the skater boi’s Citizen Kane, Kickflip and the playboy’s playbook, Mencari Rahmat, as well as extensively praised the enthralling Singaporean drama about sexual abuse, Fundamentally Happy.

But MUBI isn’t just a streaming platform for niche films.

In fact, with their new release of acclaimed Hong Kong director, Wong Kar-Wai’s restored filmography in 4K, the platform is also introducing younger audiences to brilliant cult-classic films while refreshing avid watchers to long-lost favourites.

For the unfamiliar, Wong Kar-Wai is the king of emotional, nuanced cinema with masterpieces such as In The Mood For Love, Chungking Express and Fallen Angels.

His films are usually bathed in neon lights, oozing with sexual tension and pulled taut by forbidden romances.

Each viewing experience is a pleasure and while some people like to say, “Substance over style”, Wong flips the phrase and argues that “Style is substance.”

With that, we are extremely excited to announce that some of his films are currently available to stream on MUBI. But, if you need a guide, here is a list of his more underrated films, concluding with our absolute favourite.

Ashes of Time Redux

Have you seen a martial arts epic this stylistic? I bet you haven’t because only Wong Kar-Wai can spin a tale this complex while integrating some of the finest visuals we’ve seen in film thus far.

The film feels like Pulp Fiction if it were hallucinatory epic about a cynical man in the dessert who spends his time connecting expert swordsmen with those seeking revenge.

Thrilling, artistic and a little hard to follow, Ashes of Time Redux isn’t particularly his finest but it’s still a brilliant effort by the director.

The Hand

If you had a personal tailor who was bespoke to you, you would get The Hand. 

The film essentially follows a shy tailor’s assistant who is engulfed in the charms of one of his clients, Miss Hua (played by the gorgeous Gong Li).

Even from their first encounter, the chemistry between the two leads is already explosive and we continue to follow them through all aspects of their lives, the lows and the highs.

It’s sad, it’s sexy and and it’s stylish, which are the three main traits of any Wong film. If you love sexual tension that is so thick that you can cut through it with a knife, you’d love this film.

2046

If you know Wong Kar-Wai, you know In The Mood For Love, which is arguably his best work. But not many people know that that magnum opus has a sequel that is almost – if not – just as good.

Calling back all of the beauties from his previous film, 2046 is a feast for the eyes not just because of the sultry sexiness of Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi and Faye Wong but because Wong is just a master dizzying visuals that will make you swear you just ingested a love potion prior to watching.

The story essentially follows Tony Leung’s character from In The Mood For Love as he searches for his next romantic partner.

Some people remark the film’s meandering but we feel like it fits that arduous and sometimes fruitless search for a love that was once lost.

Happy Together

In this house, we love LGBT+ representation!

Happy Together is a queer romance for those who want to cry a bucket of tears on their bedroom floor.

A devastating look at a volatile and passionate relationship that begins to sizzle out of control, the two leads push and pull amidst the backdrop of Wong’s lush cinematography.

Visual storytelling at its finest, the film will sear itself into your memory and you will never dance in a room with your partner the same way again.

 

If any of these films piqued your interest, prepare yourself for a visually-rich and devastating viewing experience and head on over to MUBI to check them out!