In The Mood for Love (Fa Yeung Nin Wa)
Written and directed by Wong Kar Wai.
Starring Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung.
My Rating: 9/10
Not a typical commercial film and definitely not for everyone. A shallow audience will say it is cold and boring. But for me, this film is truly a masterpiece of art. Such a simple story, yet hauntingly beautiful. Basically, it tells about a man and a woman who find themselves attracted to each other after suspecting their spouses having an affair. That attraction gradually turns into love–an intense love–yet they have to restrain themselves from the temptation of going too far.
Contrary to seemingly similar films, this film offered an evocative, sensual atmosphere with no promiscuous act needed, which we rarely see these days. And at times I found it both very frustrating and fascinating, as they avoid physical contact due to their strong fidelity.The interaction of the two main actors are purely emotional, yet it still offers a subtle erotic nuance without being too revealing. It has no cheesy,trying-too-hard-to-be-romantic dialogue, as their eyes reflect unspoken poetry. An antithesis of Hollywood’s impulsive passion we are used to.
Wong Kar Wai seems love to puzzled the audiences with many ambiguous scenes, in which he gives the audiences freedom to interpret the scenes their own way. Raising many questions and many interpretations, the lacking of straightforwardness, which not many people will find enjoyable. Myself, felt frustration, ache, and confusion the first time I watched it. How come two people who were deeply in love couldn’t have each other? They had already caught their spouses having an extramarital affair. So why couldn’t they just leave their legal spouses and end up together since there would be no love lost between them and their spouses? It’s difficult for me to understand.
“What am I, if I can’t be yours?”
Still, my disagreement with the why don’t they choose the path of happiness doesn’t reduce my overall score, and finally I accepted it as an “Elegantly Poignant, Sad Love Story”.
It also has wonderful cinematography; every scene looks like a beautiful painting. Some people might find it boring due to the slow pacing and slow motions. But I lost myself in the beauty of the scenes. If you have capability to understand hidden meaning behind the symbols, like a love story that has depth, and can stand a slow monotonic scene, then this movie is absolutely for you.
Trapped in Labyrinth of Thoughts 