Some people may say that Kar-wai Wong's latest piece is a triumph of style over content. While the film is meticulously crafted, from costumes and sets to shot framing and score, the simple story is tenderly and achingly realised by the two leads; this is one of the most emotional films I have seen in a long time.
Set in 1960's Hong Kong, the story concerns two new lodgers in neighbouring apartments, both of whom are married but see little of their spouses due to their hectic schedules. Drawn together in their loneliness, they slowly begin to suspect that the timing of their partners' absences are not mere coincidence and that they may be having an affair. As they spend more time together, they try to resist their growing feelings for each other so they do not also embark on a similar affair.
Why on earth Maggie Cheung spent her formative years being pulled off the back of a moped by Jackie Chan (Police Story) is beyond me, when here she shows that she is clearly capable of so much more. Her perfomance is matched every step of the way by Tony Leung, whose face is able to display an astonishing range of understated expression. If it were not for the quality of the actors portraying the two main characters the film would not survive, as they feature in nearly every scene with the rest of the cast purely incidental; even the adulterous spouses never actually show their faces on camera. Together they perfectly create an atmosphere of confused feelings and an attraction brought about through mutual loneliness.
Although the lack of any real events may be seen as a fault by the casual viewer, this serves to concentrate on the story and amplify the burgeoning relationship. The end of the film seems slighty curtailed, as if Wong realised that he would struggle to sustain the mood of the film for more than one and a half hours and so the locations of Singapore and Cambodia are covered in a slightly rushed manner. Also, the main characters' fondness for acting out hypothetical situations, although a vital part of the story, at times seemed a very strange thing to do. However, it does provide some of the best moments for Cheung to show her previously underused acting abilities.
If you have been raised on a staple diet of saccharine-sweet Hollywood-happy-ending romcoms, then In the Mood for Love is a welcome alternative. While some may find it's heavy tone difficult to settle into, it is a beautiful film in every sense and packs more lasting emotional punch than Meg Ryan's entire back-catalogue. |
