Review #1,199: 'In the Mood for Love' (2000)

The second of an unofficial trilogy by Chinese director Wong-Kar Wai which started with Days of Being Wild (1990) and concluded with 2046 (2004), it would be difficult to describe and appreciate In the Mood for Love without using the words beautiful, sumptuous and erotic. For a film trying to capture the pure eroticism and sweeping romance of the meeting between lost souls, there is precious little dialogue or conventional narrative, with Wong instead choosing to tell this story through gorgeous visuals and, to steal a word from the film's English-language title, an overbearing sense of mood. Continuing with the semi-improvised, free-flowing approach that brought him international success with the likes of Chungking Express (1994) and Happy Together (1997), In the Mood for Love is an achingly romantic experience, and may just be his finest work.

Set mostly around a cramped apartment block in 1962 Hong Kong, the central 'love' story is between Mr. Chow (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) and Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung), who, along with their spouses, rent a room in neighbouring flats. They regularly eat alone at night as their other halves call to say they are working overtime, and they both suspect infidelity. eventually coming to the conclusion that Mrs. Chow and Mr. Chan are indeed having an affair. Despite the ever-presence of the pleasant Mrs. Suen (Rebecca Pan) and her mahjong-playing friends, the couple feel isolated and alone, often venturing out to the nearby noodle stand to purchase a meal for one. The two start to bond through imagining and even re-enacting how their spouses met and courted each other, while insisting their own blossoming relationship remains platonic. But feelings are developed and suppressed, with things intensifying when they begin work on a martial arts serial, renting a hotel room to escape the gossiping of neighbours.

The era in which the film is set not only gives the opportunity for some exquisite costume design (Mrs. Chan's colourful dresses radiate sensuality), but also offers the chance to reflect on a more conservative, socially-conforming time. While the couple refuse to allow their friendship to boil over into romance, there are still whispers and raised eyebrows. With this kind of secrecy and restraint forced upon them, they are made to pass each other on the street with barely an acknowledgement, and this is where Wong's style becomes the substance. Sexual tension is captured by the brush of a hand, a sideways glance, and even the dipping of meat in hot sauce. In the film's most effective scene, they pass each other on a stairwell, barely daring to offer the other a glance, just as the rain starts to lash down to bring them together under shelter. Where most films will have their characters lay their romantic cards on the table, Wong says so much more with repressing as much as possible, climaxing in a haunting final scene set amongst the ruined temples Angkor Wat in Cambodia.


Directed by: Kar-Wai Wong
Starring: Maggie Cheung, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Ping Lam Siu, Rebecca Pan
Country: Hong Kong/China

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie