In the Mood for Love

Excellent. Intoxicating. Sensual. This movie dealt with love in a more restrained manner. The juice was in the details of every frame and every frame was saturated with information about the characters. It is worth having in your library. I loved how they dealt with the secret. I felt a little unfulfilled at the end but you understand it all the same. It was real and intense and beautiful. "2046" look out for those numbers...a related movie that may interest you. ;)

Back in 2002 I watched it "by accident" on some random german artsy TV channel. I wasn't into foreign cinema or even profound cinema of any kind at that time. I was only 18 years old. But this movie changed my way of looking at movies. My taste completely changed from that moment on. Everything about this story is so sad, so special. I was obsessed with Maggie after it. I watched all the movies of the director I could find. It literally changed my view of movies, and if you will, my view of love. This kind of romance, you don't find in many movies. It is just so special. It touches me every time I watch it. The music, the colours, the acting. It's just perfect. The best movie about love you'll ever witness. I'm 37 years old now and I still think that's true.

This was my first Wong Kar-Wai movie and I must say, "Holy shit." I loved absolutely everything about this experience. The acting, the soundtrack, the freaking colors! No other movie can embody the emotions this stirred up. It may take some time, but I can't wait to dive back into this one on a re-watch.

“In a restless moment, she has her head lowered to give him a chance to come closer. But he could not, for lack of courage. She runs and walks away.”
In the mood for Love is not a film but a true definition of what love is. It's about all the missed chances we could have taken if we were brave enough. It's all about us being a coward and dishonest regarding our own soul. It's all about the timings which can define your entire life on love. It's about that love which can be expressed just through the eyes and you don't have to speak a word, you don't need to touch or go erotic with your activities, it's not necessary. Love requires nothing but two silent eyes meeting two wavering lips holding onto that breath taking silent corridor which you usually went through without notice or worry and yet you stumble across her for few seconds to get an eternity look of her eyes so that it can stop your time. That's love and it will hurt no matter you take your chances or not, it will disappoint. The journey was always yours and you are all alone with it. No matter how many times you bought that extra ticket for her to get onto that ship to run away from the world, things will get messed up. Maybe someone will reach late to see you gone from that hideous hotel room or someone will leave early by staining your ciggerates red with hope that you will notice and you will reach out but you are a coward. You reach places when the gates are closed, you don't take signals since you want to be different from the world you despise and all you can do is to give up on love and tell your secrets and feelings to some hollow so that you die with peace.
I don't think I am capable to judge this film on the basis of technicalities. The shots are not real, they literally invented the colour red. The music is the soul of the film. The silent shots. The wierd erotic low angle cinematography and the screenplay. Masterpiece. One of the greatest film ever made in the history of cinema. This is my 2nd time watching this and I will continue to do so till i figure out how to think like this. GREATEST.

This is one of the most unique films that I have ever seen and I think it is one that demands multiple viewings. If you look up "subtle" in the dictionary you'd probably find this movie in the definition. I had to read through several reviews to even get a glimpse of what I missed. The subtle interactions between the two leads is incredible. So much of their time together happens in the shadows - it really adds to the feel of a forbidden love. One thing that I missed is the director's use of color in the middle and then at the end. It really is a joy if you want to do a little work for it.

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Its in the sounds and pauses between phrases and colors that linger long in the mind, waiting, hoping for that love that we naturally desire as humans. Didn't really have any expectations and they were thoroughly surpassed

DISCLAIMER: I did not see this movie in its original language(Cantonese), but in a dubbed version(Italian). I may have missed some nuances.

This is a very peculiar movie. So slow, so subtle, and yet so captivating. I couldn’t peel my eyes from the screen. Just a masterwork.
The plot idea is very simple, maybe even cliché. A woman and a man, neighbors, who discover their respective spouse is cheating with the other’s partner. Through that shared experience they get closer and closer. Yet, the movie explorers this with such a delicate touch. The viewer is always looking in their relationship like a peeping tom, it’s like all we know about them is eavesdropped conversations and gossip. Watching them hesitate in their new relationship, sharing glances and smiles, it’s intoxicating.

I loved the two lead actors, brilliant work by them, but especially by Leung. The two leads had excellent chemistry.

The cinematography was just superb. Every shot is well thought, filled to the brim with character and personality. The way the director depicts Hong Kong, in that noir style, is marvelous, a pleasure for the eyes. I could have used less slow motion, it cheapened certain scenes in my view.

Great soundtrack, always on point and eliciting the perfect emotions in the viewer. “Yumeji’s Theme” will stay in my head for a long time.

In the end, I can recommend this movie to anyone who’s willing to fall in love. It’s not for everyone, it’s slow and for some it can be a dealbreaker. But if you got the patience for it, it will tell you something special.

9/10

Just like our end, we are covered with dirt. Like a secret nobody will ever hear.

God, this film was gorgeously shot and just so intoxicating. The tension in the story and between the protagonists was just amazing to watch, and the way there's so much that's said between the lines and left to interpretation only adds to that. Loved it.

This is what I would call nostalgia in film form. Throughout the movie, there’s a constant feeling of longing for something that once was, even before the film reveals what that is. The brilliant music, combined with the subtle yet gorgeous cinematography and direction, conveys that feeling perfectly.

An amazing movie that I had been meaning to watch for quite some time, and it was definitely worth it, 8.62/10