Wong Kar-Wai’s Blossoms Shanghai TV series gets a mesmerizing trailer
His first project since 2013’s The Grandmaster, Wong Kar-Wai returns with a follow-up to In The Mood For Love and 2046
The past decade has been a nightmare for this blue marble we call Earth: the rise of fascism, backsliding democracies, a climate crisis, and, worst of all, no new Wong Kar-Wai projects. 2013’s The Grandmaster was nine years ago, and that Criterion box set released last year re-colored all his work Matrix green.
Thankfully, the dark ages are ending, and Wong is making his long-awaited return to, um, television. Blossoms Shanghai, Wong’s first television project, will air in China next year and be available to American audiences on the WeTV and Tencent Video app. Award-winning Shanghainese screenwriter Qin Wen wrote the series, with Academy Award-winning cinematographer Peter Pau creating the sumptuous visuals for us to enjoy.
Based on Jin Yucheng’s novel, the series serves as the third part in Wong’s trilogy of work that includes In The Mood For Love and 2046. Blossoms follow the life of Mr. Bao (Hu Ge), a self-made millionaire, and his rise to power in Shanghai. Additionally, Wong previously announced a movie version of the series would follow.
“Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel Blossoms has been the perfect backdrop to visualize and share my love for my birth city,” said Wong Kar Wai. “With the series, I would like to invite the audience to immerse in the intrigues of Shanghai and its inhabitants in the early 1990s, an exciting time that paved the way for the prosperity of modern Shanghai.”
While the new trailer does not have English subtitles, Wong’s visuals should whet appetizers for another bite of the In The Mood For Love apple. Furthermore, a trailer with English subtitles premiered last year, adding more of that Wong Kar-Wai poetry his fans crave.