Hungkat’s review published on Letterboxd:
Wong Kar Wai sure knows a lot about heartbreak...
In The Mood for Love is a romantic masterpiece - With each romantic gesture shown through the words and the eyes of the two main characters. Especially whenever Mr. Chow steals glances at Mrs. Chan, there is a great sense of unexplained eroticism floating around in the atmosphere, somehow accentuating the "tragicness" in their chaste love story.
Wong Kar Wai knows how to play with your mood then slowly he snatches your heart away without you realizing it. The sequences where Maggie Cheung silently walks by Tony Leung in the stairwell (to buy some food) will take your breath away with its simplistic visual yet saying so much about love and connection which the two are longing for in the moment of melancholia. Through every frame of the movie, it's evident as if we, the audience are the voyeur...peeking through a keyhole, or a tiny crack to see our lovers' secrets and forbidden "amour".
“Were they role-playing their cheating spouses or were they speaking from their hearts?” I asked.
" Feelings can creep up just like that, I thought was in control," Chow said.
The ambiguity of this movie evokes an insurmountable amount of affection and poignancy that is laying deep in our hearts. Action speaks louder than words. The score by Shigeru Umebayashi is as heart-wrenching as ever - it never failed to send chills down my spine. As I reached the ending, I felt so lonely...And for a brief 10 seconds, everything around me became blurred and indistinct.
In The Mood for Love is undoubtedly my favorite romance of all time. With no kiss, no sex but a “ tinge” of gesture can create a sensational feeling of intimacy. Love is full of regrets, but like him, we'll be able to look back and cherish those vanished years...
Nothing is more painful than the rendition of Quizás, Quizás, Quizás. All is lost in a tender whisper. Would Mr. Chow gladly feel this pain for the rest of his life just to have one more glance at Su- Li Zhen? I would wait til eternity just to hear them say " I love you."
P.S. Maggie Cheung is everything.