In The Mood for Love

A study of two people in pain. 

The movie shows us Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan who are neighbors. Both are married to other people and as we slowly learn both have been (mostly) abandoned by their respective spouses. 

The chemistry between Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung is off the charts. Visually, it’s a stunning flick. Claustrophobic and colorful with scenes that vibrate with lust and longing. 

There is just a bit of humor. What Mr. Chan’s friend does with his last $2 made me chuckle. 

But the movie sums itself up with this piece of dialogue: 

Chow Mo-wan: I sometimes wonder what I’d be if I hadn’t married. Have you ever thought of that?
Su Li-zhen Chan: Maybe happier.

Those of you looking for something like Lost in Translation or Past Lives will be happy with this. 

I ended up here because I wanted to watch more Tony Leung films. He’s in Hard Boiled, one of the greatest action movies ever made and one of my personal faves and he turned up in Shang-Chi. 

And he’s got a magnetic presence and the acting chops to play everything from a wounded lover to an action hero. 

But having seen this now I want to track down all of Director Wong Kar-wai’s films. And I want to watch this again without the stress of making sure I’m not missing anything. 

For those of us who love the arts there are few things better than discovering a new thing. When you get around to a band that was popular decades before you were born and now you get the joy of listening to every album, finding the new things to love. 

And with movies it is the same with directors, screenwriters and actors and actresses. So I’m looking forward to tracking more of Kar-wai’s work down. 

Anyway, In The Mood For Love drops the viewer into deep water and you will either sink or swim. As the kids say, you will vibe with this or you won’t.