The short film focuses on the same motifs Wong is famous for: lingering glances, elegant qipaos, curls of cigarette smoke, and the heavy silence between two people. The Theme of Preservation
The short film is set to the same melancholic, cello-heavy score that defined the feature film. The music acts as a bridge, making the black-and-white images of the 1930s feel like the "pre-history" of Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan.
Though it features different actors from a bygone era, the short film is inextricably linked to the 2000 feature for several reasons:
