Now it has been long since the Britishers left Hong Kong, but through Wong kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love, we can still live through the streets of british Hong Kong. The loneliness vacuum of Chow mo-wan and Su Li-zhen coupled with the warm colors of the streets of Hong Kong, is sending shivers down the spine of its audience from the year of 2000! No matter how these 20 years passed after the release of this masterpiece, every frame of the film still stands evergreen to its audience.
The shooting techniques of the director and the colors used, produced overwhelming beauty as well as devastating dreads at the same time. Other than the colors, the most significant things to notice about the film is the pacing and how it is super synchronized with the background tracks. Two acquaintances from the same apartment getting to know that their spouses are into a hidden affair and trying to mend each other’s devastation, being in platonic love, sets the mood of the film in retro in one shift. The splendour of every lowlight frame, the evening walks in the dark alleys with some sad tune is playing in the background, taking the eyes of the audience straight to the 1960’s Hong Kong.
It’s still new!
The breathtaking frames eroticize every movement of the characters, interacting with each other, being in love. The amalgamation of a jazz mood and the eye contact of two neighbouring lonely souls, still glitters the eyes of the viewers even after 20 years. Throughout the entire film, the two people never come into a relationship in full shape, but only filling each other hollowness in an oblique way. The best part about the film is it keeps its audience thirsty till the end, and maybe even after the film ends.
The director keeping his focus in the small moments of the film and tries to convert the bigger picture lying behind his every shot. The love between the two broken hearts are kept prolonged and beyond the scene where the audience don’t have access to. Maybe this is the reason why In the mood for love is still an iconic phenomena even after two decades. Because it never really ended!
What’s next?
Apart from the aesthetics of In the mood for love, Wong’s fans have also witnessed films like Chungking Express, 2046, Fallen Angels, happy Together, etc. A seductive pop drama like Chungking Express has had the same effect like In the mood for love in people’s minds who are warm tone jazz lovers! And guess what? Mr. Wong is coming up with Chungking Express 2020 which is going to be a heavy hit in 2021 filmbook!
