Wong Kar-Wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Art house favorite Wong Kar-wei is back in fine form with this brooding, visually sumptuous rumination on unrequited love and all the turmoil it can erupt within the soul. Neighbors in a crowded Hong Kong apartment buiding, circa 1966, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung basically own the screen as two people desperately flirting with the temptation to be infidel when they discover their respective spouses are having an affair. As most most Wong pieces go, it's all about setting and mood. The pace is deliberate and follows a waltz-like cantor most of the way until the lugubrious denoument years later as Leung's character must face the truth that his female counterpart does not share his same feelings. Haunting, evocative and beautifully acted, this love story is a true original in that the story solely focuses on the dou and their passionate plight. You never actually even see her husband or his wife! Not for all tastes, but for those who yearn for the romantic, this one's a gem!