Review of In the Mood for Love (2000) by Isaac J — 30 Sep 2009

A film that tries far too hard to be artsy and expressive through unorthodox means. It's almost like this film is self-sabotaging. The cinematography is unique, but it doesn't intrigue, it puzzles. The narrative structure is brilliant, using dialogue to indicate both huge and minuscule passages of time, but there is simply no narrative. The mise-en-scene of the film is expressive, but the audience's attention is drawn almost entirely to the blandly stone-faced acting.

In the end, the average viewer, along with anyone looking for a solid film, will simply find this movie to be both boring and confusing. The objective of a film is to be appealing and engaging to a wide audience. If you're not a member of high film culture you're not going to be able to follow this film, plain and simple.