Review of In the Mood for Love (2000) by Ed B — 07 Feb 2015

Beautifully stylized, In The Mood For Love is a tribute to film personalization. It's instantly apparent that director Wong Kar-Wai placed a substantial personal investment this remarkably visual film. One almost has to ask where the inspiration for such an intimate work came from.

In typical Asian fashion, the camerawork in this piece is exemplary. Seldom do we see this kind of cinematography in western film. So efficient and graceful, the lens becomes another player in this elegant picture. Add in the minimalistic musical score and the film takes on an element of melancholy. This film truly is an artistic endeavor.

Agonizingly slow panning shots, leisurely paced tracking shots, and instances of perfectly placed slo-mo give this film a very deliberate quality. It's effortlessly dreamy characteristics also bestow a real sense of aloofness. So many of the film's shots are made peeking around corners and looking down hallways, that you can't help but feel it's voyeuristic intentions. We always seem to be watching the action unfolding from afar, like a peeping Tom.

Although the story is purposefully vague, it's beautiful simplicity can't be refuted. Two lonely neighbors, a man whose wife is having an affair and a woman whose husband is doing the same, find they enjoy each others company. Amore soon follows for the wayward souls, hence the title of the film, "In The Mood For Love.".

Of course, there's a hitch to this constrained story. As it turns out, our estranged couple's spouses are each cheating with the other's spouse. They, and we, want to see their relationship blossom even if for nothing more than spite. Virtue however, is indifferent to such petty emotions. Unable to stoop to the level of their cheating better halves, they abstain. Honor, it seems, is stronger than temptation. Yet for some reason, denying their own passions is almost as painful for us as it is for them.

Vexing from a sympathetic standpoint and sympathetic from vexing one, this film is about discipline. Rarely do we find ourselves hoping to see others to give into indulgence as we do with this film. If our lonely couple manages to do the right thing, shouldn't we applaud that? Shouldn't we appreciate their chastity? The answer is, yes. Yes, we should... It's just not going to be easy. Love never is.