Gay relationships / heterosexual pov
As someone interested in film in general, and it's abilities to develop and portray the complexities of human emotions and relationships, I'm always exited by an attempt by a well known director to explore possibilities using the medium to deal with human sexuality.
I don't want now to deal with this film, which I love (as all of Wong's work - although "Blueberry Nights" is hard to "defend"), but to express a thought I sometimes have. As a heterosexual male (as many gays say, it's not a matter of "choice"), I would want. if I were a director (and not a teacher), to make a film about sexuality, and my feelings about it. My idea might be to make a GAY film, not that I identify with this or that sexual act, which are nothing but minor details.
In a heterosexual scene I would a-priori identify with the man, and would almost certainly, even if I'm aware of the problem, show the relationship from HIS point of view, and thus show the woman as an object of his desires. It's not a feminist thing, and it's not ALWAYS wrong show a woman as an object of desire, if this is what you want to do. But I would be able to concentrate on the DYNAMICS of the relationship, which are, I think, similar with sexual relationship in general.
I'm not sure, but that might have been part of Wong's thinking, and he managed to make a very beautiful film.