Days Of Being Wild

The movie as a whole is deceptively simple. There are no elaborate sets or costumes, no big musical motifs, no large shootouts, and no elaborate camera work. In fact, Days of Being Wild would probably be one of the most sparse films I have ever seen. There aren't even any extras in the street scenes. Whether this was due to a low budget or a device manufactured by Wong himself, this forces the viewer to go that much deeper into the characters' lives, even though that might not be a place we might want to go.

Days of Being Wild is a good movie, and one which I would recommend for a viewing, especially if you have liked some of Wong Kar-Wai's other films. However, the movie is almost too depressing to be truly enjoyable, and the bleak tone, meandering style, and lack of resolution ultimately hurts it in the end. Even though I appreciated what Wong was trying to do, it was irritating and almost maddening that he did not fully follow through with any of the characters. Perhaps it is this kind of love/hate relationship (envisioned through filmic devices and Wong's use, misuse, or total disregard for) that causes people to feel so strongly about him.

At any rate, despite any problems I had with the story itself, I feel that Days of Being Wild is a stark and minimalistic cinematic representation of loneliness that, while never seeming to go anywhere or providing any sort of resolution, is still a fairly fascinating movie to watch, because of the performances of the actors.

Review Courtesy of Neil Koch