“In the mood for love” was chosen in 2016 by the BBC’s culture publishers in a survey of 1777 critics around the world as the second of the 100 best films produced since 2000 and in December 2020, it was re-released in cinemas to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
In short, a summer, two broken hearts, a superb collection of up to 46 qipaos, the traditional Chinese dress, which the director uses to reflect the passage of time, a lot of food, used recurrently and symbolically, (seems , that some dishes that appear on screen can only be served at certain times of the year), a soundtrack that highlights the piece Yumeji´s theme by Shigeru Umebayas and boleros of Nat King Cole that sounded strong in Hong Kong of the 60s and above all an absolutely enchanting photograph.
I leave you a link to three complementary reviews that should be useful to motivate you to see, (or see again) this masterpiece by the chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-wai and that together with “Wild Days”, ahead and “2046” for lastly, they form a trilogy with different aesthetic approaches, but which share a common theme: how complicated it is to understand love, the passage of time and the weight of the past.
“In the Mood for Love” it moves and develops in a terrain, in which love is but never arrives. A very romantic ode … to love failure. “20 anys de ‘Desitjant estimar’, el (no) amor més gran de la història de cinema – Fotogramas)“
“In the Mood for Love” it is a story that delves into human relationships and our own need for affection. Both protagonists depend on each other to be able to correct their respective sentimental situations. A story that, on the other hand, tells us about issues intrinsic to today’s society: alienation, loneliness or isolation.(“Deseando amar”. Caso paradigmático en la producción de Wong Kar-Wai – Culturamas)
Peter Travers crític from Rolling Stones magazine, he claimed from the film that “Nothing’s hotter than repression”. “The smallest details are eroticized. The whisper of silk, the click of high heels, the splash of raindrops on a cheek — all have a hypnotic allure”.
