Donna Qi unpacks one of her favorite movies ever in Bwog’s Movie Club! 

Film: In the Mood for Love (2000) by Wong Kar-wai

Rating: 11/10 

Summary: A man and a woman living next to each other in Hong Kong suspect their significant others are having an affair with each other. They attempt to understand how it occurred through acting out their romance, and in the process, fall in love. 

Review: In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai might be one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. It grapples with many personal but also geopolitical themes: love, loss, loneliness, and the tension that was fraught in Hong Kong when it was returned to China as well as the cultural influence of Shanghai on the wardrobe choices of the women in the film. This makes it so that this movie isn’t just a compelling love story to watch unfurl, but also one that is rife with opportunities to analyze and to think critically about. What was Wong Kar-wai trying to say about his own feelings towards the connection between Hong Kong and China, a topic that is also pertinent today given the political issues that have arisen?

In other words, this movie is a timeless gem. You can definitely tell that this movie is old and doesn’t boast the glossy look that films have today, but Wong Kar-wai never fails to captivate you with a glance between the protagonists, the incessant focus on the passing of time, and the strikingly beautiful soundtrack that accompanies the love story. One of the reasons why its such a brilliant movie is that each viewing of it yields new details, something that is amazing considering Wong Kar-wai practically improvised the creation of this film. All 90 minutes of this film commands your attention and captures that bittersweet and melancholy feeling of losing your youth.

Who would love this movie?: Romantics, People who like analyzing movies, Those who want to feel sad

Film Reel from the Ancient World of the 1900s via Kirkwood Student Media