IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000)

A.K.A.: Fa Yeung Nin Wa

Country: Hong Kong

Genre(s): Drama / Romance

Director: Kar Wai Wong
Cast: Tony Leung Chiu Wai / Maggie Cheung / Ping Lam Siu

Plot

Two neighbors, a man and a woman in 1960s Hong Kong, believe that their respective spouses are having an affair.  Brought together by this, they form a meaningful but complicated friendship.

What I Liked

Just as “The Bicycle Thief” is poetry in the form of motion picture (as I mentioned in a previous entry), so is “In the Mood For Love.”  Much of the importance in this story and its characters is in what goes unsaid, indeed what is impossible to put into words.  Thus “In the Mood For Love” can’t be anything but a movie.  Its impact and beauty would be weakened in the format of a novel, a painting, a song, or even a written poem.

What makes this film interesting and moving is the way the characters relate to each other, their approach to their situation.  They never fully confront the infidelity of their spouses or what to do about it; nor do they openly discuss their mutual attraction to one another and what to do about that.  Yet they never ignore either issue, approaching them sideways, passively, and sometimes cleverly, veiling their hurt in politely uttered pleasantries, discussions about short stories, and even pretend to be their unfaithful spouses, rather than themselves.  Indeed, their story is most effectively told not in what they say but in their facial expressions, their glances, their walks and their gestures.  The physical movements of both characters as they constantly flirt with the space between each other have all the balletic elegance of a great dance performance, yet these are simply two lonely people moving beautifully through their daily lives and through each other’s lives.

I mentioned earlier that “In the Mood For Love” could never work as a painting.  While that’s true, there are visuals here that certainly have the feel of a moody painting.  Director Kar Wai Wong makes seductive use of colors, be they glowing neons or cool shadows, which makes the viewer an unknowing but thoroughly mesmerized participant in his own absorption into the moment.  This is not only a unique and honest depiction of human relationships, but it is also a gorgeous piece of escapism that absolutely transports its audience to another time and place.

What I Disliked

I won’t say I disliked any of this, but I will admit the film is slow and difficult to categorize.  Indeed, I had to take it in at multiple sittings to refresh my attention span because what I was shown in this film didn’t fit easily into the conventions to which I am accustomed.  Don’t let the title fool you and approach this one looking for the type of romance story traditional in Western film.  There is little to none of the tear-drenched melodrama or disarming quirkiness Americans like in their love stories.  Shot without a script, this film lacks a traditional narrative structure and it would be hard to point to a moment in this film that can easily be recognized as a climax, which would require rising action, and that never comes into play either.  Nor will you be treated to a pre-packaged happy ending; yet nor is it sad.  It just is.  The conclusion feels real, perfectly keeping with the situation and the characters; and that’s because this film, despite a visual beauty that borders on fantasy, seeks truth in every shot, line, and scene.

Most Memorable Scene

There are at least a half a dozen points where dialogue is completely abandoned for sequences that are accompanied only by music, the same music each time.  It is a stunning song played on violin that perfectly accents each of the visuals it accompanies (It's in the trailer above).  I'm not prone to saying this, but it's really some of the most moving music I've ever heard.  None of these moments stands out above another, so I will pick them all.  Here that dance of daily life I spoke of earlier glides at its most poignant level, helped by some smooth, Scorsese-esque camera movement.  These are the scenes that elevate this film from an unusual tale of love to a masterful work of art rendered in moving pictures.

My Rating: 5 out of 5