KinoCult presents: In the Mood for Love | In the Mood for Love (2000) by Wong Kar-wai

November 10 | 19:00 | Lumiere Cinema
Subtitles: English

Hong Kong, 1962. Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen move in with their spouses in neighboring apartments. The two gradually realize that their partners are having an affair, and the shared betrayal brings them closer together. Feelings develop between them, but they are determined not to become what has hurt them.

When "In the Mood for Love" is released in 2000, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian describes it as an exquisite tale, and the longing within it as a true "syrup of suppressed desire".

More than two decades later, the film has achieved the status of one of the great classics of contemporary cinema.

Wong Kar-wai tells the love story not so much through what the characters say, but through what they do not allow themselves to do. Glances, pauses, reflections, narrow corridors, saturated colors, and slow motion create a world where every chance encounter between Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung carries the tension of everything that could happen.

Behind the camera are Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin, while William Chang Suk-ping creates the set design, costumes, and participates in the editing. "Yumeji’s Theme" by Shigeru Umebayashi and the songs of Nat King Cole recur like a memory to which the film constantly returns.

Criterion describes "In the Mood for Love" as a masterful recreation of romantic longing and fleeting moments, citing it as one of the most stylistically influential films in cinema. 

In 2000, the film was in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where Tony Leung won the Best Actor award, and the film's visual mastery earned a special award for Christopher Doyle, William Chang Suk-ping, and Mark Lee Ping-bin.

In 2022, "In the Mood for Love" reached No. 5 in the Sight & Sound poll of the greatest films of all time - the highest-ranked film from the 21st century.

If there are films that simply must be seen on the big screen, "In the Mood for Love" is one of them.

Director: Wong Kar-wai
Screenplay: Wong Kar-wai
Cast: Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Rebecca Pan
Cinematographers: Christopher Doyle, Mark Lee Ping-bin
Set design and costumes: William Chang Suk-ping
Editing: William Chang Suk-ping, Ming-lam Wong
Music: Michael Galasso
Duration: 98 min.
Language: Cantonese | Subtitles: English