In the Mood for Love (3 Stars)

"A big film about things that don't happen".

That's the title of a review in a German newspaper. It's appropriate. Throughout the film the viewer is teased with hints that something is about to happen, but it doesn't. The closer the two lovers get, the more they slip away from one another. When the film finally comes to a close they're further apart than ever, despite their longing for one another.

The film begins in Hong Kong in 1962. Two married couples move into apartments next to one another. I should say two people, because we never see Chow's wife or Su's husband. Chow's wife works late, and so does Su's husband, so the two of them are always alone. They both buy noodles from a nearby shop. They become casual friends, drawn together by their loneliness. They suspect their partners are having affairs. As time goes by, they suspect that their partners are having an affair with one another. The final proof comes when the two both go on a business trip to Japan at the same time.

How do the two lonely people deal with their pain? They turn to role-play. First Chow pretends to be Su's husband, and then Su pretends to be Chow's wife. They practise conversations in which they accuse one another of infidelity. They have no intention of becoming a couple, but their feelings for one another grow. They try to fight off the feelings, saying "We're better than them". It's true, they are better. There's no sex, not even when they spend nights in a hotel together. There's no kiss. The most that happens is that their hands touch.

It's a tragic love affair between two lonely people. The tragedy makes the romance seem all the more tender. Many film critics call "In the Mood for Love" the best film ever made. I appreciate the film, but I don't agree. For me the love affair is simply too tragic. I wanted to see Chow and Su kiss. I was frustrated when the kiss never happened.

The film's atmosphere is powerfully intense. The two people have good jobs (Chow is a journalist, Su works for a shipping company), but they live in poor accommodation. The hallways of their apartment building are dirty. In fact, everything around them looks like they live in a slum. The Hong Kong we see isn't glamorous, it's dirty and grubby. Su's beautiful dresses and Chow's immaculate suits seem out of place.

When I watched the film in 2015 I said I wanted to watch it again soon. Then I forgot about it. I was reminded when one of my friends told me it's her favourite film. After a recommendation like that I made an effort to like it, but it doesn't speak to me. It doesn't warm my heart. It leaves my heart empty.

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