In the Mood for Love
SHADOWS
MUST-SEE
MUST-SEE
As the film opens in 1962, Mrs Chan (Cheung) and Mr Chow (Leung) are renting rooms in next-door apartments. Both have absentee spouses, always away on business, and it takes awhile before they realise they're having an affair. Even then though, the duo don't let their passions take over--they maintain a "proper" relationship, even though they feel intensely guilty about it all! And as their attraction grows, they must make some difficult decisions.
Wong's direction combined with lush, gorgeous cinematography by Christopher Doyle and Mark Li Ping-Bin make the film utterly mesmerising and unforgettable. Sensuous, textured, inviting, moody--it's such a clever use of camera and cast that each scene draws you into the story with real seductive power. Like watching a painting unfold before your eyes ... accompanied by Michael Galasso's evocative score. There's not a single unnecessary cutaway; conversations are often shown without reaction shots, using clever angles, mirrors, light, shadow, smoke and doorways to provide a telling counterpoint to what's being said. And Cheung and Leung are fantastic--lovely to look at, carefully conveying the loneliness of an abandoned spouse and the comfort found in strangers. It's a slow build from start to finish, very oblique and open-handed without any real emotional fireworks, but it's also powerful, stunningly beautiful and completely unforgettable.
[PG--themes] 23.Oct.00
UK release 27.Oct.00; US release 2.Feb.01
Winner: Best Actor Tony Leung, Best Cinematography & Editing (Cannes 00); Best International Film (European Film Awards 00).
