August 1-25 @Museum of Fine Arts

Throughout August love is examined through the darkly shaded eyes of Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai, beginning with the gangster drama A Tears Go By. Eventually the series turns to follow a local Hong Kong mafioso and his inability to form a sincere relationship in Fallen Angels. Later in the series screens Ashes of Time, a stark departure from Kar-wai’s more personal work, an action adventure epic set in ancient China featuring dazzling fight scenes and Wong’s vivid cinematography. Happy Together and In the Mood For Love, both tales of romantic yearning and paralytic isolation, were the first of the director’s films to gain serious praise from Western critics. This trend continued through 2046, an exploration of memory and loss that incorporates time travel and parallel worlds. These films helped to establish Kar-wai’s unique visual universe and fractured, quiet sense of narrative. One of the major draws of the MFA’s retrospective is a Boston premiere of Kar-wai’s latest feature, The Grandmaster, a martial arts drama centering on the life of legendary kung-fu master Ip Man. Enjoy all Wong Kar-wai’s films this month at the MFA.

August 1-25 @Museum of Fine Arts

Throughout August love is examined through the darkly shaded eyes of Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai, beginning with the gangster drama A Tears Go By. Eventually the series turns to follow a local Hong Kong mafioso and his inability to form a sincere relationship in Fallen Angels. Later in the series screens Ashes of Time, a stark departure from Kar-wai’s more personal work, an action adventure epic set in ancient China featuring dazzling fight scenes and Wong’s vivid cinematography. Happy Together and In the Mood For Love, both tales of romantic yearning and paralytic isolation, were the first of the director’s films to gain serious praise from Western critics. This trend continued through 2046, an exploration of memory and loss that incorporates time travel and parallel worlds. These films helped to establish Kar-wai’s unique visual universe and fractured, quiet sense of narrative. One of the major draws of the MFA’s retrospective is a Boston premiere of Kar-wai’s latest feature, The Grandmaster, a martial arts drama centering on the life of legendary kung-fu master Ip Man. Enjoy all Wong Kar-wai’s films this month at the MFA.