A Remembrance of Times Past, Redux

What can I say about Ashes of Time Redux? A mystic meditation on life, death and memory? A Hong Kong action film without the action? That and more.

It seems to be about a man who lives in the desert who sells the services of professional killers. We hear his voice over discussing the seasons. We meet one of his killers, who has a jug of wine that erases your memories. The killer drinks deeply, but not our narrator. The next day the killer leaves: "That was the last time I ever saw him."

That becomes a theme: that people are never seen again. I suppose in the professional killing game, this is to be expected. Another is identity: it's not always clear who everyone is, and at least one character (Brigitte Lin) is both a prince and princess. Since the movie includes both Tony Leungs, and 3 Cheungs (Leslie, Maggie, Jackie), this confusion extends to the casting.

Another theme is memory and forgetfulness. Another is the desert, and water. Director Kar Wai Wong filmed this with hyper-colors (or restored it that way - he withdrew this film and re-edited it, possibly adding color filters). It's a bit surrealistic - the desert glows red, and shadows glow blue. The effect is beautiful, but perhaps too artificial. Or perhaps artifice is another theme.

The plot actually all becomes clear (I think, I'm a little confused about the brother and the blind swordsman). It plays out slowly, with digressions and flashbacks. Since some characters have amnesia and others are "never seen again", this can be confusing. Frankly, I'm used to having no clue in these wu shia movies. Usually, I just enjoy the action, but here, the action is limited, and rather abstract (directed by Sammo Hung). So I just enjoy the art, the composition, the light, the shadows, the texture.