In the Mood for Love

A Movie Analysis (Light Spoilers)

Plot:

It's a tale of failed love in a claustrophobic apartment complex in 1960s Hong Kong. Two couples move into the complex at the same time; the Chans and the Chows are young and recently married with no kids. Mr Chan is always away on business trips and Mrs Chow is always gone on errands. Pretty quickly Mrs Chan and Mr Chow realize their respective spouses are having an affair with each other. So the film becomes the story of Mrs Chan and Mr Chow coping with their spouse’s cheating.

Camera Work: 

This is what struck me as the most provoking part of the movie. There are two interesting ideas I want to highlight. 

First, the camera refuses to show us the unfaithful spouses. We might hear their voice or see their backside, but never once do we see their face. Rarely do we see Mrs Chan and Mr Chow even interact with their spouses. In doing this the film refuses to characterize the unfaithful, they get talked about a lot and the movie revolves around their affair, but we never see it happening. A lesser filmmaker might try to make cheap jokes out of the situation or have a loud overtop confrontation of the cheating. But the filmmakers didn’t want any of that, they wanted the audience’s attention solely on Mr Chow and Mrs Chan, and their experience of feeling their “life partner” slowly pull away from them.

Second, the camera work is very constrained. During most of the runtime, the camera work is stationary medium and close-up shots. There are almost no establishing shots, long shots, pans, tracking, or tilts. The camera sits still and watches the actors up close. Initially, this restrictive cinematography creates a feeling of claustrophobia, isolation, and paranoia. There is an emotional paralysis for our two main characters as they sit in their cramped apartments, their spouses noticeably absent. It's here where the cheating is revealed. Not through dialogue, but instead by way of quiet stares where repressed emotions come bubbling up to the surface.

Though something interesting happens, the meaning of the camera work changes throughout the film. As an unlikely bond forms between Mr Chow and Mrs Chan, the stationary mediums and close-ups begin to feel intimate, loving, and calming. There is still some pain and sadness, but no longer are they trapped alone in their apartments. Now it’s shots of them in taxis, at restaurants, and talking in the rain. As their relationship develops and changes, so do the feelings produced by the restrictive camera work. 

Then only after a major time skip does the movie allow a full usage of camera movements. The setting has changed away from Hong Kong to Singapore and Cambodia, and several years have passed, no longer is the audience watching the story of a “love square” in a tiny apartment. So we see establishing shots, dynamic camera movements, and beautiful pans across Angkor Wat. There is no need to spoil the ending of the film here. All that needs to be noted is how the film evolves a third and final time. It's in the last bit of the movie where the camera work is free and there’s a full expression of its themes, love and loneliness. 

A Personal Touch: 

For the last few years, I hid myself from the dating market. Out of fear, I stayed far away from the world of love. But with (forceful) encouragement from friends, I have been trying to date more. Since December of 2023, I found the courage to go on 12 or so dates with several smart and kind women. One of whom was particularly intelligent, witty, and beautiful. We went on several dates, had serious moments, facetimed before bed, met the parents, called often, and did a lot of joking around. I was comfortable, secure, and happy after only knowing her for less than two months. Then I messed it up, and now we don’t talk. The pain of that relationship ending was incomparable to the pain of imagining what could have been. For me, In the Mood for Love reopened that scare. So by the end of the film, a part of me ached. But it wasn’t just painful, it was also cathartic. This is what great art can do.