Essential characteristics of Wong Kar Wai’s cinematic universe are transplanted into the American context of My Blue Berry Nights as he continues to muse on the universal experiences of love and loneliness. After getting her heart broken, Elizabeth (Norah Jones) goes on an odyssey across America, taking up several waitressing jobs while saving up for a car, where she finds herself amongst quirky characters who are navigating their own heartbreaks. Together, their intersecting lives amalgamate into a bittersweet concoction that leaves you feeling adequately fulfilled.
It has all the characteristics of Wong Kar Wai’s work but the cinematography and imagery feels contrived and excessive at times. The jump cuts and camera movements that fluidly followed Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung as they traversed through narrow corridors and alleyways in In the Mood for Love served a greater function to demonstrate the stifling and secretive atmosphere of the film. However, In My Blueberry Nights, it is merely palatable and oftentimes distracting.
It’s not that Wong is limited to only setting films in Hong Kong, nor is he less adequate at conveying the potency of foreign landscapes. In fact, how the spontaneously piecing together of the story is informed by the American context is fascinating, but there is a certain feeling that just doesn’t hit the spot in My Blueberry Nights. Perhaps because the American setting is more familiar to us, we become more aware of the awkward and contrived feelings apparent in some empty scenes. Although this film didn’t strike a chord within me as much as his films that are informed by Chinese culture, it was obvious the cinema had a decently fun time. I’ve never heard so many people laugh over a close-up shot of ice-cream melting down blueberry pie, it was wonderfully serendipitous.
Getting off the bandwagon of disliking this film for the sake of it, overall, the intersecting stories maintain the interest and pace of the film. They provide a nuanced exploration of varying relationships with love. It translates across as a sweet indie romance film that’ll generously leave viewers full with wholesome feelings—much more than Wong’s usual bittersweet tragedies that end with failed connections. The value in this film is in seeing stories situated in America through the lens of Wong Kar Wai. Deliciously light-hearted and topped off by a sweet and logistically awkward kiss which allows viewers to forget the darker and more painful moments of the film through the salvation of love.
Bonnie Huang