The Sauced Bulletin

So for the past week or so I’ve been on a bit of a Wong Kar Wai binge.  Chungking Express while on set (hey guys!), Fallen Angels, and now finally In the Mood for Love (I skipped Happy Together because I was so excited about this one, but I’ll go back don’t worry!).  As you can see above, in our new and improved ratings system this movie gets a perfect score.  What a good way to break in the new and mathematically complex system, right?  But seriously, In the Mood for Love is an incredible film that everyone should have the bittersweet pleasure of seeing.

Genius Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai presents the story of two sad, lonely people.  While living next door to each other, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung both realize that their spouses are cheating on them….with each other!  Yikes!  The story is mostly about how these two jilted lovers spend their time together, always teetering on the brink of romance, but firmly vowing never to behave like their significant others.  It’s a simple story and premise, which allows the actors and visuals to embellish and give the whole thing a palpable emotional heft.  

And the visuals.  THE VISUALS!  The cinematography is really what this movie is all about.  Nutty Australian/complete fucking genius Christopher Doyle creates some of the most strikingly beautiful images I’ve ever seen.  This is one of those movies where every frame could be frozen, framed, and hung up as a piece of art.  The deep reds and greens that surround the characters, the shadowy alleyways and rain-soaked street, the lyrical slow-motion passages.  No other film in recent memory (except maybe The Tree of Life) has made me audibly gasp when certain shots have appeared on screen.  And this is all not to mention Maggie Cheung’s gorgeous and constantly shifting wardrobe, which could be the subject of another film entirely.

Now all the stunning visual bravado would be meaningless of the actors didn’t provide an emotional center for it, and both leads do a fantastic job.  Cheung and Leung allow the audience to feel the pain and longing which they share, all with minimal dialogue or direct expression.  It’s in their eyes, the glances at each other when the other isn’t looking, the way they stand and always almost seem to touch but don’t.  They are two people who keep every desire bottled up inside, and the audience feels their tension completely.  The performances are achingly beautiful.

Basically what I’m saying is you owe it to yourself to see In the Mood for Love.  If you have even a passing interest in movies, you will be awed by this one.  Wong Kar Wai’s films always possess this inimitable quality of controlled spontaneity.  They feel completely in the moment, as if the actions of the characters were already taking place and he happened upon them with his camera and just shot from whatever angle struck him, but at the same time the technical prowess on display in his choice of movement and composition is remarkable.  In the Mood for Love walks the same line between improvisation and meticulous creation, and for those qualities to coexist in such an emotionally rich and vibrant film is a truly a miracle.  That’s why it gets a perfect score.