Three Colors: Blue
7.9
Three Colors: Blue

Infernal Affairs
8.0
Infernal Affairs

Three Colors: White
7.6
Three Colors: White

As Tears Go By
7.0
As Tears Go By

Storyline
Set in Hong Kong, 1962, Chow Mo-Wan is a newspaper editor who moves into a new building with his wife. At the same time, Su Li-zhen, a beautiful secretary and her executive husband also move in to the crowded building. With their spouses often away, Chow and Li-zhen spend most of their time together as friends. They have everything in common from noodle shops to martial arts. Soon, they are shocked to discover that their spouses are having an affair. Hurt and angry, they find comfort in their growing friendship even as they resolve not to be like their unfaithful mates.—Anonymous

Plot summaryPlot synopsis
Taglines
Feel the heat, keep the feeling burning, let the sensation explode.
Genres
DramaRomance
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG for thematic elements and brief language
Parents guide
Did you know
Trivia
Director Kar-Wai Wong was shooting the ending and editing the film a little over a week before its debut at Cannes.

Goofs
When Mr. Chow is waiting with Mrs. Chan for the rain to stop, he is suddenly completely dry despite running through the rain only moments earlier.

Quotes
Caption: He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane, the past is something he could see, but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Mission: Impossible II/Running Free/Passion of Mind/Big Momma’s House (2000)

Soundtracks
Yumeji’s Theme
Composed and recorded by Shigeru Umebayashi (as Umebayashi Shigeru)
Courtesy of Emotion Music Co., Ltd.

User reviews
482
FEATURED REVIEW
10
/10
Nostalgic, elegiac tale of doomed romance
I think that New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell wrote the best one line review of In the Mood for Love when he said that it is “dizzy with a romantic spirit that’s been missing from the cinema forever.” How true those words are! Truly romantic films are so rare these days, while films that include plenty of sex and nudity (which are often portrayed in a smutty and gratuitous manner) abound. So, given this cinematic climate, Wong Kar-wai’s latest film feels like a much needed breath of fresh air. In the Mood for Love is about the doomed romance between two neighbors (“Mr. Chow,” played by Tony Leung and “Mrs. Chan,” played by Maggie Cheung), whose spouses are having an illicit affair, as they try “not to be like them.” But after hanging out with each other on lonely nights (while their spouses are away “on business”/”taking care of a sick mother”), they fall madly in love, and must resist the temptation of going too far.

Several factors are responsible for making In the Mood for Love a new classic among “romantic melodramas,” in the best sense of that term. First, the specific period of the film (i.e. 1960’s Hong Kong) is faithfully recreated to an astonishing degree of detail. The clothes (including Maggie Cheung’s lovely dresses), the music (e.g. Nat King Cole), and the overall atmosphere of this film evokes a nostalgia for that specific period. Second, Christopher Doyle’s award-winning, breathtakingly beautiful cinematography creates an environment which not only envelopes its two main characters, but seems to ooze with romantic longing in every one of its sumptuous, meticulously composed frame. Make no mistake about it: In the Mood for Love was the most gorgeous film of 2001. (It should also be mentioned that Wong Kar-wai’s usual hyper-kinetic visual style is (understandably) toned down for this film, although his pallet remain just as colorful.) Third, there is the haunting score by Michael Galasso, which is accompanied by slow motion sequences of, e.g. Chan walking in her elegant dresses, Chan and Chow “glancing” at each other as they pass one another on the stairs, and other beautiful scenes which etch themselves into one’s memory. The main score–which makes its instruments sound as though they’re literally crying–is heard eight times throughout various points in the film and it serves to highlight the sadness and the longing which the two main characters feel. Fourth, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung both deliver wonderful performances (Leung won the prize for best actor at Cannes) and they manage to generate real chemistry on screen.

The above elements coalesce and work so nicely together to create a film that feels timeless, “dizzyingly romantic,” and, in a word, magical. In the Mood for Love, perhaps more than any other film of 2001, reminded me why it is that I love “going to the movies.” And I guess that is about the highest compliment that I can pay to a film.

helpful
•
321

30

seandchoiMar 5, 2002
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FAQ
1
Where can I watch this film?
Details
Release date
March 9, 2001 (United States)
Countries of origin
Hong KongFrance
Languages
CantoneseShanghaineseFrenchSpanish
Also known as
Three Stories About Food
Filming locations
Thailand
Production companies
Jet Tone ProductionBlock 2 PicturesParadis Films
See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
Gross US & Canada
$2,738,980
Opening weekend US & Canada
$113,280Feb 4, 2001
Gross worldwide
$14,202,625
See detailed box office info on IMDbPro
Technical specs
Runtime
1 hour 38 minutes
Color
Color
Sound mix: Dolby Digital, Dolby
Aspect ratio: 1.66 : 1
Language(s): English
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Original premiere: 03/01/2022
Newest season premiere: 03/01/2022

2022-2023 Mid Season
 
Genre(s)
Coming of Age, Drama, Dramedy, Family, Suspense, Thriller, War
 
Keyword(s)
Coming of Age Digital Drama, Dramedy Digital Drama, Suspense Digital Drama, Thriller, Bonafide Films, BBC America, TV Shows from 2022, Movies from United Kingdom, English Language, Coming of Age TV Drama, Dramedy TV Drama, Suspense TV Drama, TV Shows Starring Ebony Aboagye, TV Shows Starring Chantelle Alle, TV Shows Starring Mohammad Dalmar, TV Shows Starring Jordan Duvigneau, TV Shows Starring Jessica Hynes, TV Shows Starring Mia Jenkins, TV Shows Starring Paul Kaye, TV Shows Starring Nicole Lecky, TV Shows Starring Jordan Myrie, TV Shows Starring Lara Peake, TV Shows Starring Flo Wilson, TV Shows Starring Jason York, Bonafide Films Shows, BBC America Shows, TV Shows from United Kingdom, Golden Globes Nominees, Emmy Awards Nominees, BAFTA Awards Winners, BAFTA Awards Nominees, Emmy Awards Winners, Critics’ Choice Awards Nominees, GLAAD Media Awards Nominees, Female Producer, Female Writer, Black Producer, Black Writer, Black Lead Cast
 

 

Awards & Nominations
NA
 

Synopsis (Warning: Spoilers!)

Links
 

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Streaming Platforms
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