★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Recently we watched a selection of Wong Kar-wai films via The Cinematheque's latest spotlight screenings. To say that we were blown away by this director's incredibly unique yet delightfully indie style is an understatement. Wong's ability to craft visually intriguing films while leaving a stylistic thumbprint on everything he touches is paralleled by few. The long takes, lingering looks, and silences in many of his films leave viewers searching for meaning in what wasn't said rather than what was.
One film stood out to us as particularly noteworthy. In the Mood for Love was featured in one of our film theory classes many years ago and it was a treat to finally see the full movie with our own eyes. Set in 1960s Hong Kong, In the Mood for Love follows an unlikely, unspoken love story between Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) and Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung). The two connect when they move next to one another in a cramped apartment building. Spending many evenings alone as their respective partners work late into the night, the two protagonists exchange many lingering glances and accidental run-ins as they go about their lonely lives. When they eventually come to the conclusion that their partners are cheating with one another, Li-zhen and Mo-wan begin a relationship of their own that at first begins platonically but eventually blossoms into more. Their refusal to stoop to the level of their partners ultimately leads to an unfulfilled romance that the two look eventually back on through the lens of what could have been but never was.
The entire film feels like a memory. The details are fuzzy and lost but the key moments stand out as bright lights in a foggy forgotten past that are now being recalled through rose-coloured glasses. Wong chooses to give the audience few personal details to relate to the characters, instead allowing viewers to grasp onto what is important in the story and let go of the rest. The ending is a refreshingly realistic look at love that is sure to leave even the most romantic of watchers grounded in the pain of unfulfilled promise.