Review of In the Mood for Love (2000) by A Z — 28 Aug 2008

This film is a gorgeous story that only film could so subtly and beautifully bring to life. Su Li-zhen and Chow Mo-wan, living next door to each other in an apartment building, move through a 1960s Hong Kong with a strict moral code and keenly observant neighbours and coworkers.

Saving face is crucial and friends are few and far between for the two, whose distant spouses are having an affair. In a heartwrenching scene early in the film, the lonely Su Li-zhen sobs over the masking sound of the shower, far from her perfectly executed role as a proper, elegant and diligent wife and secretary.

When she and Chow discover the other knows of the affair between their spouses, they finally have someone to confide in. In this ambiguous film (the scenes are a series of sometimes blurred memories, possible fantasies, repetition and subtle developments), the bond between the two is challenged by their sense of propriety and the pressure of strict social expectations.