In the Mood for Love & 2046

Above anything else Asian directors and writers have an uncanny ability to present an examination of the human condition while making it entertaining and thought provoking. With the artistry of the movie camera in front of him director Kar Wai Wong gives us a pair of films that examine the relationships that most men and women deal with at one time or another in their lives. From friendships to love and the different aspects that these stages in life take we're given an expert storytelling of the trials and tribulations of man and woman in 1960s China.
In the Mood for Love - The platonic relationship between two neighbors develops further when they discover that their respective spouses have been having an affair. The photography is breathtaking and with the top-notch acting by Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, the audience is transported into a world that seems alien but at the same time very familiar. Here the camera becomes an active participant in the story, allowing the audience to only see what the camera allows you to see and from there only knowing what the main characters know. There are only two instances in the film that this doesn't follow but those are there to develop the back-story to know where those characters are going in the storyline.
2046 - Chow Mo-Wan examines his failing life through his writings of time travel and parallel worlds in the guise of his soft-porn stories. Leung returns in this loosely based sequel to In the Mood for Love and gives an outstanding preformance. With the blending of fantasy worlds and the reality of the main characters lives the audience is given the opportunity to witness the actions in real life and the fantasy that unfolds within Chow's mind and stories. As the story progresses Chow becomes lost in what he wants in his life and what he desires, here he is put into a situation that many of us face, whether to turn right or left and what exactly will be the consequences of our actions.
Even though both of these movies are very good, and deserve all of the accolades that they received, but only the first one comes close to Kar Wai Wong's early masterpiece Chungking Express. There is less dialog in the first film than the second but that doesn't slow down the story in any way the audience is given a treat by the acting of scenes and completely understanding what's going on without a word being spoken. With each new film I see from this genre of movies I appreciate more and more the artistry that the filmmakers of the Asian cinema portray on the screen.