In the Mood for Love (China, 2000)
The universal themes explored are: loneliness, missed opportunities, betrayal.
In the Mood for Love is a beautiful, melancholy film about love and loneliness in 1960s Hong Kong. The story centers around Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chen who are neighbors that discover their spouses are unfaithful.
The film doesn't follow the usual troupes of a love story, which is refreshing. It's a film of desperation. This film haunted me for days. It made my heart ache (in a good way) and I just wanted to watch it again as soon as it ended. It reminds me of classics like Casablanca. I found out after watching that it was directed by Wong Kar-Wai , who directed another one of my favorite films, Chungking Express. On both films, he also worked with Christopher Doyle as his cinematographer. These collaborators work so well together. In the Mood for Love is a feast for your eyes. The film is filled with intense colors and billowing cigarette smoke. Maggie Cheung's (Mrs. Chan) costumes are all the most exquisite cheong-san dresses. They are so beautiful they make me long for the past when everyone dressed up every day.
Spoiler-ish-
The first caption reads "It is a restless moment. She has kept her head lowered, to give him a chance to come closer. But he could not, she turns and walks away." It's clear from the start this is not a conventional, love story. It is something far more interesting and compelling.
If you want to get an understanding of the film before you even watch it look up Yumeji's theme on YouTube. It is a moody waltz with a violin solo. It is the backbone of this film and will get you in the mood for In the Mood for Love.
All images sourced from IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694/?ref_=nv_sr_1