The melodrama “My Blueberry Nights” was immediately dubbed by film critics as an export auto-remake, a Hong Kong film, shot with European actors in an English manner. Indeed, the Hong Kong film director Wong Karwai’s American debut arouses mixed feelings among the beholder. To some, it seems cloyingly sweet, to others - surprisingly superficial, still others shrug their shoulders in bewilderment, repeating the phrase: "You won’t drink skill."
Recognizable manner
Reviews of the film "My Blueberry Nights", a description of the strengths and weaknesses of the tape are not a sentence, they are easy enough to challenge. The main plus was almost unanimously called the recognizable manner of the director. At the same time, the traditional endless rapids, the voiceover, the unbearably bright lights of the neon signs - everything was densely covered with a decent layer of gloss. Therefore, Wong was accused of gravitating to the Hollywood mainstream. Reviews for the film "My Blueberry Nights" written in this perspective are absolutely groundless, since a picture of a joint production of China and France, and in the USA, would consider such projects a bizarre art house, which would have neither a large box office, nor all-consuming popularity . Wong can only be blamed for the fact that he shot a high-quality melodramatic picture in a pure genre. The author has a similar experience, because he has already presented the audience with “Love mood”, “Chungking Express” and the sensual drama “Happy Together”.
The plot of the film "My Blueberry Nights"
The description of the film should begin with the main plot intrigue. According to him, the main character - Elizabeth, a young inhabitant of New York, is experiencing a painful break with her boyfriend. Unable to find solace, the girl decides to change the situation and sets off on a trip to America. By the will of fate, she crosses almost the whole country, meeting on the way different, but equally unhappy people. Strangers help her get rid of her memories, past and open the way not only to the depths of her heart, her soul, but also to true love.
Blueberry obsession of famous actors
The most popular and famous actors played all the casual and non-random companions of the main character: David Strathairn ("Good Night and Good Luck") - a silent drinking cop, Rachel Weitz - his broken little wife, obsessed with poker, a rich loafer - Natalie Portman. And the heroine is tormented by the memories of a friend left at home - a pensive bartender who fed her a blueberry pie, performed by the inimitable Jude Law. The film "My Blueberry Nights" reviews are unanimously and deservedly called the film debut of a jazz singer - the beautiful Norah Jones. It is interesting that many famous Hollywood stars dream and are ready to work with Wong, but the maestro provided them with only minor roles. Multiple Grammy winner, heiress of Ravi Shankar became a real director's muse. Confirming Nora as the leading woman, Wong said: "There will be none - there will be no cinema."
Not without acting data
This fundamental choice was approved by everyone after watching the film "My Blueberry Nights." The reviews were definitely positive, because Nora is not just a pretty young girl, she has an innate acting talent. In addition, it is the embodiment of light and unobtrusive, even intelligent music, which has no place in the rotation of pop radio stations and MTV. It is in demand by real gourmets, just like the current brainchild of Vong Karvai. Oddly enough, but in the film there is not one of the compositions of Jones. The retro-film director preferred Ray Kuder and Otis Redding to her work, although one new track was nevertheless included by the creators in the audio version of the soundtrack to the film “My Blueberry Nights”. Reviews about him were expressed exclusively in a positive manner. The composition was a success, like Nora's first album.
Conservatism of consumers
Wong's work in all aspects and relationships is conceptual. For a very long period, the director was waiting for a fantastic triumph of the epic phantasmagoria “2046”, but his creation was simply not understood in Cannes, and the author was disappointed. According to the urgent requirements of the producers, he made a deal with his conscience and even mounted a more simplified version, while finally destroying the work and dream of his entire creative life. Therefore, in the film "My Blueberry Nights", the reviews of observant spectators are proof of this, he endlessly laments the established conservatism of the consumer, though through the lips of Jude Law. Maybe the reason for the release of “Nights” is nothing but a movie-smoke break of an incomprehensible genius, a reactionary deviation from innovative revolutionary experiments, a kind of highly artistic “here” offended author to an incomprehensible public.
Inspirational Creator
This attitude is quite typical for a director from Hong Kong: he basically does not recognize cinema as an industry and creates, like a free artist, off-schedule, on a hunch. Its hallmark is complete improvisation. Most of the episodes are shot without a script, sometimes even the actors have no idea what their characters should be. Such images are created from the footage just on the pasteboard. But “My Blueberry Nights” (reviews confirm this) differ from Wong’s authorial manner. For the film, a script was written according to all the laws of the genre, developed to the smallest detail, and the picture itself was shot in conditions of industrial production. And the director explained his desire to shoot in the USA to that, that the most remote point of the Earth from Hong Kong seemed attractive to him because of the distance. It was an author’s experiment: how far the director will be able to fit into the radically opposite reality. In addition, American literature and cinema, according to the maestro, had a huge impact on his formation as a creative artist, so his brainchild should be regarded as a tribute to the United States.
Technical side
About the visual component and the entire technical side of the film "My Blueberry Nights" reviews are left quite restrained. Operators Pung Leung Kwan and Darius Hongji together with William Chang proved their professionalism. Filming is done very carefully, subtle plans from above are striking in their grace. The installation of the picture is attractively carelessly accurate, and this is not a mistake, not proof of unprofessionalism. Everything is intentional and harmonious - inimitable author's style. The presentation of the material itself is similar to the displacement of two vectors - the far-sighted and predictable Western drama, which is inherent in most films-laureates and oriental films. And he is momentary and sometimes shortsighted, somewhat festival.