In The Mood For Love (2000)

THE SCOOP
Director: Wong Ka-Wai
Plot: A man and a woman move in to neighboring Hong Kong apartments and form a bond when they both suspect their spouses of extra-marital activities.

Genre: Drama/Romance
Awards: Nom. for Golden Palm and won best actor (Cannes Film Festival). Nom. for 1 BAFTA - best foreign feature.
Runtime: 98min
Rating: PG for thematic elements and brief language.

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IN RETROSPECT
As to which Wong Ka-Wai film is the best, critics are mostly divided over Chungking Express (1994) and In The Mood For Love. On a personal note, I prefer neither. Though there is much to admire in both films, they are an acquired taste. For many years, WKW remains to be one of my favorite directors from the East but I regret to have this inability to give his films a high score. In The Mood For Love deserves a higher score than 7.5, and just like Chungking Express, it warrants a second viewing.

In The Mood For Love stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, two of the biggest Asian stars at that time, playing Chow and Su respectively. They live in the same apartment, in separate rooms with their own spouses who seem to always be away on business. Slowly, Chow and Su begin to suspect that their partners are having a love affair together. As time goes by, they accept their situation while seeking solace in each other’s companionship, which amidst growing confusion, becomes more than mutual friendship.

Chow and Su resolve to never follow the footsteps of their cheating partners, yet they are tempted. The film observes the two leads’ growing fondness for each other yet their vow to maintain a comfortable distance from one another has left them feeling more than uncomfortable. Leung and Cheung give subtle performances that hide their characters’ inner emotions; we never see their characters lust for each other, but we know they are desperate for love.

WKW sees a sad resignation in the circumstance, directing the film in such a way resembling a yearning waltz. Once again, his use of nostalgic music is brilliant. He alternates between Nat King Cole instrumentals that become mysteriously resonant with each repetition and classic Chinese oldies from the 30s. His cinematographer Christopher Doyle frames the film with a unique blend of slow-motion photography as the leads brush past each other while turning the corner in a stairwell, and teasing mirror shots of Leung and Cheung as they sit opposite each other in an intimate setting.

If there is a major flaw to In The Mood For Love, it would be in the last ten minutes. WKW shifts from 60s cultural Hong Kong to decades later in a politically-chaotic Cambodia, disrupting the focus of the narrative and somewhat ruins the previous backdrop in which it is so perfectly filmed. It is an unnecessary sequence and a poor attempt at diversifying the story to allow some closure towards the end. A considerable filmmaking talent like WKW should have known better. But he makes some amends with the often unconventional storytelling; a couple of ‘trick’ sequences take viewers farther than they would expect intellectually.

In The Mood For Love is nevertheless a stylish, impressionistic experiment about resisted love that bears the artistic touches of the acclaimed director. Wisps of cigar smoke spiraling upwards, strong use of oriental colors red, yellow, and brown, unorthodox shots of thematically-linked objects etc bring to mind. It is a decent prelude to 2046 (2004) which is in my opinion a more satisfying picture.

GRADE: B (7.5/10 or 3.5 stars)

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