In the Mood for Love

A+

Directed by Wong Kar Wai

Biases be known, Wong Kar Wai's "In the Mood for Love" is one of my all-time favorite films. When I reveal this to friends who are familiar with the film, they are never completely shocked since "In the Mood for Love" has enjoyed a great deal of critical acclaim since its release in 2001, but seem puzzled simply because "In the Mood for Love" is relatively simple, "small" film which lacks the immediate, jaw dropping and often visceral effect one feels when watching films like "Citizen Kane" or "Seven Samurai" for the first time. Nevertheless, after rewatching it dozens of time, I firmly believe that "In the Mood for Love" is not only Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece but a near flawless work that will eventually be regarded as one of the landmark films of this era.

"In the Mood for Love" is the second part of Wong Kar Wai's "Hong Kong Trilogy," wedged between 1991's "Days of being Wild" and 2004's "2046." The film begins with Chow Mo Wan (Tony Leung) and Su Li Zhen (Maggie Cheung) and their respective spouses renting rooms next to one another in an old Shanghainese couple's home in Hong Kong. Although Mr. Chow and Su Li Zhen's friendship is at first cordial but distant, they soon draw closer to each other as they both suspect that their respective spouses are cheating on them with each other, a sobbering realization that pushes Su Li Zhen and Mr. Chow further together as they both seek to escape their loneliness and disappointment.

I first saw "In the Mood for Love" in 2003, two years after it was first released in theaters. At the time my only experience with Wong Kar Wai's films was "Chungking Express" which I had thoroughly enjoyed (and have since come to see as one of his more important works) but didn't strike me as a classic that demanded that I watch the rest of Wong Kar Wai's oeuvre. "In the Mood for Love," however, is a totally different work than "Chungking Express" or any other Wong Kar Wai film for that matter. Whereas most of Wong's films are colorful, often vibrant odes to romance and loneliness that prominently feature characters wearing their hearts on their sleaves and communicating their desires via purple prose (which can be a good or bad thing depending on which Wong film you're talking about) "In the Mood for Love" is a hyper restrained affair where the feelings of the main characters are buried under layers of cultural stigma, misunderstanding, and unspoken doubts. Rather than stifling the romance, however, "In the Mood for Love" reaches a dizzying, intoxicating level of romanticism as Su Li Zhen and Chow Mo Wan's desires--desires which the viewer realizes will likely remain unspoken and almost surely remain unconsumated--bubble beneath the film's calm, moody surface. Describing the romantic tension created by Wong and his supremely talented leads has led to some seemingly hyperbolic (but in reality well warranted) descriptives, one of my favorites from Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzalez who described "In The Mood for Love" as "ravishing beyond mortal words." Indeed.

The emotional authenticity Wong draws out of his story would have likely been impossible had it not been for the presence of Leung and Cheung whose work here is nothing short of superb. The cinematography, helmed by the one of a kind Christopher Doyle, is sublime and the production design, itself an integral part of the film, adds invaluable layers of texture and depth to Wong's film. The end result is a perfect storm of inspired, focused direction, superior acting, and faultless production.

This will most likely go down as Wong kar Wai's masterwork and one of the decade's best and most essential films. Watch it, I beg of you!