Film: In The Mood For Love
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Country: Hong Kong
Released: May 2000
Runtime: 98 minutes
Genre: Romantic Drama
Studio: Jet Tone
Influenced: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Park Chan-Wook, Sofia Coppola, Karthik Subbaraj, Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cinematography arguably peaked with Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love. It's hard to think of a film that is equally beautiful to behold. The film's rich, evocative visuals capture so perfectly the characters' emotions and the atmosphere of 1960s Hong Kong, with cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-Bin assisting Wong Kar-Wai in achieving his vision. They used slow motion, close-ups and a lush palette of colours to create the dreamlike quality of the film. In The Mood For Love was the result of a long and meticulous creative process for the director, who originally conceived the idea for the film in the late 1990s, drawing inspiration from his own memories and experiences. The film was in development for several years, with the script evolving and the production taking place in various locations. The movie's production was notoriously extended, with the director shooting more than a year's worth of footage and taking a considerable amount of time in post-production to craft the final product.
Wong Kar-Wai's films often explore themes of love and longing, and these themes have found no better expression than In The Mood For Love. The film is set primarily in British Hong Kong in 1962, but also Singapore and Cambodia, and follows the lives of two neighbours, Mr Chow (Tony Leung) and Mrs Chan (Maggie Cheung). They both suspect their spouses of infidelity and, as a result, find solace in each other's companionship. However, they decide to uphold their moral standards and refrain from engaging in an affair, despite their growing emotional connection. The film explores the complex emotions and unspoken desires between Mr Chow and Mrs Chan as they navigate their own feelings and social expectations during a more conservative era. The film's narrative is deliberately fragmented, with scenes that jump back and forth in time, as well as multiple versions of the same encounters, reflecting the imagination of the two lead characters as they ponder romantic paths not taken.
The film's title, In The Mood For Love, is derived from a popular song by Nat King Cole. While the song itself does not feature in the film, it still contributes to the film's atmosphere of longing. Instead, Wong Kar-Wai uses two other Nat King Cole songs, Aquellos Ojos Verdes and Quizás, Quizás, Quizás, the constant "perhaps" refrain of the latter used to evocative effect several times in the film as we see the two lead characters teeter on the precipice of an affair. Compositions by violinist Michael Galasso are used multiple times in the film, notably his Angkor Wat Theme that features during the closing scenes in Cambodia, helping create a sense of wonder and beauty. Another composer, Shigeru Umebayashi, provides the film's central and recurring musical motif, Yumeji's Theme, used to devastatingly emotional effect whenever Mr Chow and Mrs Chan share intimate or emotionally charged moments, serving to underscore their unspoken feelings and deep connection. The theme is revisited at the end of the film, offering a sense of closure and reflection on a love that might have been.
In The Mood For Love received widespread critical acclaim and its reputation has grown since, now regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. It won numerous awards, including the Cannes Film Festival Technical Grand Prize and the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director. The film's costumes, designed by William Chang, have also received recognition for their meticulous attention to period detail. In addition, the legendary Tony Leung won the Best Actor award at Cannes, elevating his international profile even further, and he also won the Best Actor prize at the 2001 Golden Horse Awards, often considered the equivalent of the Oscars for Chinese-language cinema. While Maggie Cheung didn't win the Best Actress award at Cannes, despite her elegant and stylish performance, she did win the Best Actress honour at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2001. Their on-screen chemistry is just as important as the cinematography in helping the film tell a timeless tale of love, loneliness and unfulfilled desires.
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