My Blueberry Nights

Wong Kar Wai's English language debut is much better than I thought it would be (he co-wrote the screenplay with Lawrence Block). It is a romantic tale of searching for oneself and I generally like these kind of films.

Elizabeth (Norah Jones) is in the middle of a bad breakup with her boyfriend. She stumbles into a cafe where her boyfriend goes to with his new girlfriend. She takes comfort in the cafe's manager Jeremy (Jude Law). But one day Elizabeth disappears.
She winds up in Memphis working two jobs. She gets to know a drunken police officer named Arnie (David Strathairn) and his floozy-ish ex-wife Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz). This becomes a learning experience. Her next stop is Arizona where she meets a tough young gambler named Leslie (Natalie Portman) and this experience also helps Elizabeth sort things out. All the while she writes to Jeremy back in New York.

I liked this film. There is a certain sensitivity to it. I understood where Elizabeth was coming from. Jones may not be a great thespian but there is a natural quality to her performance and I believed in the innocence of her character.
Portman, Weisz, Law and especially Strathairn were wonderful. I found the ending quite satisfying. The film is also beautiful to look at.

I don't know why the critics didn't like this film. They urge filmmakers to be creative but when they are the critics don't seem to get it. In any case, I recommend this film to those of you who want something a bit different as well as intelligent.