In the Mood for Love (2000)
(Fa yeung nin wah, Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Kong/France 2000, 98 min., DCP, Cantonese, Shanghainese, French, and Spanish w/English subtitles)
Director Wong Kar-Wai’s breakout film in the United States, In the Mood for Love is a film of longing—for love, for acceptance, for peace. One of the most breathtakingly beautiful films put to celluloid film, Wong’s tale of unfulfilled relationships echoes throughout the years. When Chow (Tony Leung) and Su (Maggie Cheung), who rent rooms in adjacent apartments, realize that their spouses are having an affair with each other, they become closer, confiding and commiserating together. Chow sees an opportunity to keep in touch and asks Su to help him write a martial arts serial while he rents another apartment to allow them to work in a quiet space. Time slips away, however, and the two may miss their chance to act on their feelings. The film reached #5 on Sight and Sound magazine's list of The Greatest Films of All Time.