Favorite Characters: He Zhiwu (Fallen Angels)

In Wong Kar-wai’s films that, while not exactly series/sequels, have echoes of one another (Days of Being Wild/In the Mood for Love/2046 and Chungking Express/Fallen Angels,) He Zhiwu is probably the most unusual element.  In Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, both characters have the same name, are played by Takeshi Kaneshiro, have an odd history with canned pineapple, and can be identified by the number 223 (cop ID for Chungking Express, prison number for Fallen Angels.)  However, they are most definitely not the same character, and not just in a “Chow Mo-wan is so different between In the Mood for Love and 2046 that he might as well be a different person” way.  No – these are straight-up two different guys.  I have no idea why Wong played around with giving two characters played by the same actor so many of the same details, but I love them both for different reasons, the one from Fallen Angels in particular.  Who, it happens, is the subject of today’s post.

There are a lot of eccentrics in Wong Kar-wai movies, but probably none more so than He Zhiwu in Fallen Angels.  We first meet him smoking in a closet in a laundry room, hiding from the cops, and he quickly gets down to business in telling us all about his life in voiceover.  He’s immediately cheery, describing his enterprising nature and business-savvy that’s hampered only by his lack of capital, prospects, and actual employment.  Ever the resourceful guy, he’s decided to “be his own boss,” breaking into businesses at night and running them after hours (since the rent has already been paid, it only makes sense to get the most out of them, right?) 

But his unusual work habits aren’t limited to breaking-and-entering and using other people’s facilities/inventory without their permission.  He also has a serious “don’t take no for an answer” approach to procuring customers.  He Zhiwu is mute and never communicates through writing or any other linguistic method, but when he spots a would-be customer, he pounces, pulling and tackling until he gets their worn-down patronage.  Over the course of the film, we see him foisting fresh produce, ice cream, and barber services on unsuspecting passers-by.

This is where it’s most evident that He Zhiwu isn’t just an oddball or a “free spirit”; he seems to be some flavor of neurodiverse, probably a cognitive delay of some kind.  It isn’t just that he can’t communicate fluently with people, although his inner thoughts reveal that he thinks that’s his main obstacle in interpersonal relations.  It’s also not that he doesn’t care that these people don’t want to be his customers, or that he actively enjoys messing with them.  Rather, he seems to see his philosophy as an entirely valid way of conducting business, with no notion that what he’s doing isn’t okay.  Furthermore, even when people ardently protest having his entrepreneurship imposed upon them, he doesn’t catch on – he genuinely thinks he’s serving them and making them happy.

This disconnect between how he thinks his relationship is with another person and how it really is is most pronounced with his “customers,” but it carries into his more personal relationships as well.  He expresses his love for his long-suffering dad in the most pestering way possible, and while it’s painfully obvious from the start that Charlie is still completely hung-up on Johnny, He Zhiwu imagines this dance between them that isn’t actually happening.

However, I really appreciate the care the film takes in bringing complexity to He Zhiwu.  His inner monologue may view everything through delusionally rose-tinted lenses, but it’s also well-spoken and introspective.  Despite his unorthodox/illegal way of being his own boss, he does manage to gain some real employment later in the film and flourishes when he has an understanding boss.  And while he’s mistakenly happy-go-lucky in his relationship with Charlie, he’s spared no depth of real emotion as the penny starts to drop and he realizes what’s going on between them.  Whatever his delay or difficulty, He Zhiwu is still capable of thoughtful rumination, earnest emotion, learning, and personal success, and even though he receives some help in different areas, all this is mostly coming from himself.  It’s not a depiction I see often – and certainly not outside the “overcoming adversity” disability-film genre – and I enjoy seeing it here.