Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love arrives on BFI Player as part of a retrospective of his work, with his films now available in 4K as part of a restoration process supervised by the director himself.
Director: Wong Kar Wai
Starring: Maggie Cheung Man-yuk, Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Running time: 100 minutes
In the Mood for Love is widely regarded by many as one of Wong Kar Wai’s masterpieces along with Chungking Express, and it’s hard not to see why. The film follows two married individuals who discover that their respective spouses are having an affair with the other spouse. Yet, in their shared anguish of discovering this affair, they start to fall in love with each other.
Watching a Wong Kar Wai film is to have a visual sensation like no other, as the viewer is treated to gorgeous cinematography, co-crafted by Christopher Doyle, a key collaborator of Wong’s.
Yet, this decision is not for indulgence but rather to immerse the audience in the story, as we watch this forbidden love affair blossom in the backseat of neon silhouetted taxis, in brief conversations in shadowy alleyways and within lonely hotel rooms. Interestingly, the viewer never sees the separate spouses fully but only hears them, perhaps as a nod to the hidden nature of adultery.
In contrast, we are treated to masterful close-ups of the doomed lovers as we watch their yearning to love each other despite their difficult circumstances.
The viewer becomes absorbed into a wonderful mix of luminous cinematography and a compelling narrative
Accompanying the masterful camerawork is Shigeru Umebayashi’s heart-breaking score that serves to perpetuate the festering wound of adultery and the tragedy of forbidden love.
In the Mood for Love was named the second greatest film of the 21st century by the BBC and in the view of many critics, one of the best films of all time. Sofia Coppola credited the film as a key inspiration for her Oscar-winning Lost in Translation. Similarly, Barry Jenkins credited Wong Kar Wai as being a key influence on his work.
The word “auteur” is rarely used these days but when watching Wong Kar Wai’s films, the description is apt. The viewer becomes absorbed into a wonderful mix of luminous cinematography and a compelling narrative, a combination that can only be achieved in cinema.
Did you know? The film is the second instalment in a loose trilogy of Wong’s films. Maggie Cheung Man-yuk previously played the same character in Days of Being Wild (1990), and Tony Leung Chiu-wai reprises his role in 2046 (2004).
In the Mood for Love is available to rent on BFI Player
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