In the Mood for Love

Starring: Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Siu Ping-Lam, Tung Cho "Joe" Cheung, Rebecca Pan, Kelly Lai Chen, Man-Lei Chan, Szu-Ying Chien
Directed by: Kar-Wai Wong
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Romance
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two neighbors (Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung) become friends after sharing their suspicions that their spouses are having an affair.

Review:

Tim: I enjoyed Kar-Wai Wong's In the Mood for Love, but I have to admit I'm puzzled it's recently shown up in the top 5 of Sight and Sound's Greatest Films of All Time list. Seriously? I don't see that at all. I recognize the brilliance of Jeanne Dielman, but this film? No way.

I don't want this whole review to be a take down of this film. I want to stress that I liked In the Mood for Love. It tells a tender love story that blossoms from a platonic relationship between two people dealing with a horrible situation in their personal life. Wong shoots the film in a stylistic manner. The music is incredible. It's a thoroughly well made movie. It's good. I was interested in the characters to some extent and wanted to see how the story developed. My issue is really the idea that this is a "great" movie, or one of the greatest.

We don't often see more mature movies like this that depict an adult relationship that doesn't involve a good deal of sex. If this was an American made film, you know there would be several love scenes. That doesn't take place here. It's not the focus of the characters' relationship. They eventually do fall in love, but it's less about the physical aspect of love and more about two people finding a life raft in each other amidst rolling ocean waves. It's beautiful, for sure.

The cast is good. I loved the performance of Tony Leung. Leung is such an underrated actor in America. He's had a solid career here, but I don't think he gets anywhere near the respect he deserves. Causal moviegoers don't know him, and that's a shame, because he is a fantastic actor. I thought he worked really well here. His poise, his charisma, he simply draws your eye to him. Maggie Cheung was really effective, too. It felt like she was restrained a bit too much in the role. I wish she could have shown a bit more emotional throughout the film. However, she does a lot with her eyes and draws you in, wondering what she's thinking and feeling underneath the surface. Cheung and Leung work really well together and you feel thankful for every scene they share. They spend too much of the film apart, I wanted even more time with them.

Kar-Wai Wong tackles this subject matter with flair. I was quite impressed by the stylistic approach he took to crafting the film. Several shots are so beautifully staged. He uses slow motion effectively at various points in the movie. This film is a romantic drama, but it looks unlike most films in that genre. The camerawork felt stylish and unique to me, which gives the film a fascinating unique flavor. The music was exceptional- at times I almost got chills listening to how Wong uses music effectively to add emotion to this story. It really was a standout. I give Kar-Wai Wong so much credit for crafting a beautiful, exceptionally well made movie. I might not think the overall film is great, but I was in awe of some of the technical aspects of this film.

Two of my big complaints come down to how the story was told and the lack of real emotional depth to the story. I had to admit, I felt like the story felt unnecessarily convoluted at times. It's how the story is told- it's in a unique style, but I wasn't always able to easily follow the critical points. The story kind of washes over you and you pick up pieces here and there, but it felt less clear than it should have been. I don't think I'm a complete idiot, but I never felt all that confident in interpreting the story. Reading into it more after the film, I think my interpretations were mostly correct. However, it felt off-putting watching the movie. It's too dense, too ambiguous, too much is left up to interpretation. I wish the story had been just a bit more focused.

Secondly, while I liked the characters, I never really loved them. I don't think they get enough worthwhile dialogue with each other. I was interested in their story, but I never felt a strong desire for how their story would end. I think this came from a bunch of small things, but we needed more interaction between the characters. They spend a lot of time away from each other, longing for each other. This isn't a replacement for more interaction and screen time together. I was interested but never felt truly compelled by anything I saw on screen. I didn't feel much for these characters, which for me, is a prerequisite for a great film. It felt like the movie spent far more time getting the technical aspects right and missed out on telling a truly powerful narrative that would stick with us long after seeing the film. I believe I'll remember the broad strokes of this film, but I'll likely retain very few specifics. It simply didn't make that powerful of an impact on me.

In the Mood for Love is a good film, absolutely. But I feel like it's stronger on the technical side and too cold and removed on the heart side. Great movies need to marry powerful narratives with technical prowess and I don't think this film did that. I understand most critics obviously disagree with me, but I wouldn't put this film in my top 1000 movies of all time, let alone #5. I think this is a good but clearly vastly overrated film. That being said, I don't want to dwell on that. This is a good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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