Kogonada’s Zi

Zi Wong does not have a doppelganger. Of course, if she did, that is exactly what the doppelganger would want her to believe. An expert seems to think her problem might be a brain tumor or a rare disorder that alters her perception of time, but is either alternative really that much better? No matter what the cause, Wong is in an agitated state of mind in Kogonada’s Zi, which is now playing in New York.

Wong has been seeing visions of herself, from either the past or the future. The latest sighting also includes an apparent companion, a free-spirited looking Westerner in a wig that isn’t fooling anyone. Fearing for her sanity, Wong is on the verge of taking a leave of absence from the Hong Kong Symphony, where she is a featured violinist. Just when her anxiety boils over, the strange wig-wearing woman stops to help her.

That would be Elle, who accepts Wong’s claims that she had visions of the two together, without judgment. She wants to help and believes an acquaintance working at the HK neurological center might be the best bet (their exact relationship will be revealed over time). Meanwhile, neither notices the mysterious man following and observing them.

Would it be strange if a film set in 1930’s Rome never addressed Mussolini and Fascism? Likewise, would it strike audiences as odd if a movie that took place in Chile, during the month of October 1973 never mentioned Pinochet or his coup? If so, you should have similar reservations regarding the way Kogonada never acknowledges the largest rollback of individual rights in our lifetimes, which happened in Hong Kong over the last six years. The curtailment of HK democracy is a hard thing to ignore, but somehow, Kogonada manages to do so.

If you think the man following Wong and Elle constitutes a heavily veiled commentary on HK surveillance, you will be disappointed when his true significance is revealed. This film reflects no interest in the slow ongoing death of civil society in Hong Kong, which, in effect, sanitizes the repression.

Frankly, Zi will disappointment viewers on multiple levels. Initially, there seems to be something rather intriguing brewing, but it just turns out to be another riff on Before Sunrise, with a veneer of Oliver Sacks-like speculation layered on top.

Still, Michelle Mao is often quite heartbreaking as Wong. She vividly expresses the fear experienced by someone wrestling with the possible loss of her sanity. In contrast, Haley Lu Richardson is a bit too much as Elle. However, Jin Ha has some interesting moments as her neurological friend, including a karaoke “Leaving on a Jet Plane” that hits surprisingly hard.

Rather disappointingly, as a film, Zi often takes the easy way out. It promises profundity, but never delivers. Ultimately, the film is too content in its slightness. Not recommended, Zi is now playing in New York.