Quentin Tarantino, director, on the film that obsesses him: “I don’t know anyone who isn’t in love with it”

Only Quentin Tarantino really knows what goes on inside Quentin Tarantino’s head. The filmmaker behind modern classics like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction once singled out a movie he considers a permanent fixture on his personal shelf — all because of one unforgettable scene that burned itself into his memory.

The movie Tarantino adores (and you probably haven’t seen)

The film is Chungking Express, Wong Kar‑wai’s 1994 cult masterpiece. In one of its most iconic moments, actress Faye Wong dances around a cramped kitchen to the sound of “California Dreamin’.”

Tarantino explained it years ago: “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can ever hear ‘California Dreamin’’ again without seeing Faye Wong dance. She’s the best. I don’t know anyone who’s watched this movie and isn’t in love with her.” The film became a defining piece of Hong Kong cinema in the ’90s.

Two stories woven into one

Chungking Express tells two loosely connected stories that share the same emotional pulse.The first follows a young cop known only as 223 (played by Takeshi Kaneshiro), who wanders through Hong Kong nursing a breakup — drifting between melancholy and deadpan humor. At the same time, a mysterious woman involved in the city’s criminal underworld (Brigitte Lin) moves through neon‑lit alleys, creating a fragmented portrait of lives that barely intersect.

The second story centers on another officer, 663 (Tony Leung Chiu‑wai), who’s also reeling from heartbreak. His routine is quietly disrupted when a quirky fast‑food worker — played by Faye Wong — begins slipping into his apartment while he’s away, transforming his private space into something dreamlike and strange. It’s the perfect snapshot of the film’s poetic, ambiguous tone.

Where to watch ‘Chungking Express’

The film is currently available on Filmin.

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