Film Analysis "In the Mood for Love ". Visual & Performing Arts

Film Analysis “In the Mood for Love”
Name
Institutional Affiliate
Film Analysis “In the Mood for Love”
Introduction
The film, In the Mood for Love, by Wong Kar Wai released in 2000 highlights the director’s characteristic unorthodox techniques in film production. The movie or film stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung as the main characters playing Chow Mo-Wan and Su Li-Zhen respectively. The lead characters find themselves entangled in a romantic or love bubble that flies against the social and cultural tides dictating the development and conduct of such entanglements. Provided herein is thus a comprehensive analysis of the Wong Kar Wai’s utilization of the elements of production and an evaluation of their efficacy in delivering the main theme of the narrative.
Form and Content
As mentioned in the introduction, In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar Wai is a romantic film produced in the year 2000 involving Chow Mo-Wan and Su Li-Zhen as the main characters in a heartbreaking romantic twist for both the lead casts and the audience. The film branches off from the conventional happily-ever-after ending in most films, where the protagonists end up consummating their relationships through marriage or celebrating their victory over the obstacles faced in their quest for sharing their feelings for one another. Su Li-Zhen or Mrs. Chan, a secretary with a shipping company and Chow Mo-Wan meet during an exchange with their prospective landlord as they are both in search of a new place to live with their spouses in Hong Kong CITATION Won00 \l 1033 (Wai, 2000). The two main characters meet in an exchange with the landlord in an apartment’s hallway but end up renting rooms from neighboring apartments. Su Li-Zhen gets a room from Mrs. Suen’s apartment while Chow and his wife get a room from the neighboring apartment owned by the Koos’ family CITATION Won00 \l 1033 (Wai, 2000). The two lead characters move into the neighborhood with their spouses who also have different occupations, which makes them spend a lot of time from home. The apartment is characteristic of the city’s congestion making it possible or rather inevitable for Chow and Su Li-Zhen to occasionally meet while going on with their daily lives. Both Chow and Su Li-Zhen frequent the local center for most of their dinner needs and occasionally meet at the noodle shop. It is not long before they each begin to suspect that their spouses are having extra-marital affairs as Chow’s wife was cheating on him with Su Li-Zhen’s husband, Mr. Chan. Chow gathers courage and invites Su Li-Zhen to dinner where they delve into their private lives by sharing and confirming the suspicions they have over their spouses CITATION Won00 \l 1033 (Wai, 2000). The dinner breaks the unspoken romantic spark existing between the two as they get to know more about each other while also enjoy spending time together. Both are attracted to each other but hold on to their deeper feeling as they limit their show of affection to attending to each other’s favors. Su Li-Zhen, for instance, willingly accepts to help Chow with his Asian martial arts writing project in a clandestine manner to avoid the prying eyes of their neigh...