20 Years Ago, Wong Kar-wai Made the Saddest Movie You Can Watch Before Christmas

Twenty years ago, Wong Kar-wai, the director of In the Mood for Love released a movie that could be considered the saddest and most poetic cinematic expression of Christmas.

2046 is not a holiday fairy tale but a hypnotic elegy about loneliness, lost love, and the struggle to stay warm on cold winter nights.

What Is '2046' About?

The story revolves around Chow, a writer living in a cheap hotel in 1960s Hong Kong. In an attempt to escape his memories of Su Li-zhen, his great love from In the Mood for Love, he rents room 2046 – the same room she once lived in.

In an attempt to alleviate his melancholy, Chow immerses himself in a world of fleeting intrigues with various women, including a dancer next door, the hotel owner's daughter, and a mysterious gambler.

Meanwhile, he writes a science fiction novel set in the year 2046. In this story, lonely passengers travel on a bullet train but never reach their destination.

If You Liked 'Days of Being Wild' and Especially 'In the Mood for Love', '2046' Is a Must-See

2046 is the culmination of Wong Kar-wai's unofficial trilogy, which began with Days of Being Wild and reached its pinnacle with In the Mood for Love.

While feelings in In the Mood for Love remained in the realm of the unspoken, expressed through delicate glances and barely touching hands, 2046 lifts this veil. Here, the passion is rawer, more desperate, and more physical.

The characters no longer hide their loneliness and use intimacy as a temporary refuge from melancholy. Wong Kar-wai retains his signature aesthetic but changes the tone – instead of subtle flirtation, there is the frank desperation of people who are afraid to spend Christmas alone.

'2046' Is Probably the Most Depressing Christmas Movie Ever Made

2046 takes place over the course of several Christmases, but don't expect the usual glitz, garlands, or merriment. Although Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song plays, it only underscores the film's aching melancholy.

Card players, journalists, and dancers gather around a table, not for merriment, but to escape themselves.

Even 20 years later, 2046 itself has become a time capsule – a dreamy evocation of a sensual cinematic language and an intimate, poignant sadness that neither holidays nor time can dispel.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of '2046'?

• 2046 has 87% from critics and 85% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.4/10.

• On Letterboxd, 2046 scored 4.0/5.0.

Where to Watch '2046'?

2046 is available to stream on Mubi.