This is the Wong Kar-wai film that most rewards a big screen and the worst rewards a phone: Doyle's lenses distort faces to the edge of the frame, the interiors are lit by whatever was already there, and the whole thing moves at the speed of a bad idea at three in the morning. Taking it as a late show on Ludlow Street is close to the correct delivery mechanism. If Chungking Express is the one you have seen, this is the one you have been missing.
What to expect
A late-night crowd, reserved seats and a print or restoration screened without a preamble. The film runs under a hundred minutes and moves in fragments rather than a single plot, so expect to sit inside a mood. The lobby bookstore and candy counter stay open before the show.
Good to know
- Metrograph sits on Ludlow below Canal; the F to East Broadway is the closest stop
- Seats are reserved at booking — late shows are easier to get than prime-time slots
- Late screenings let out well after midnight, so check your last train
- The film is in Cantonese with English subtitles
- The lobby shop stocks film books and is worth arriving early for
- Ludlow Street outside is a bar strip after dark if you want somewhere to argue about it afterward
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Common questions
Do I need to see Chungking Express first?
No. They share a director, a cinematographer and a mood, but the stories are separate. Either works as an entry point.
Is it subtitled?
Yes, it plays in Cantonese with English subtitles.
How late does it end?
With a runtime under a hundred minutes and a late start, expect to be back on the street around midnight.
More this weekend
