IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE

Wong Kar-wai. Need we say more? The grand master of romantic melancholy in Asian cinema offers another lyrical tale of private longing and infatuation, starring his signature performers Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. They portray new apartment neighbors in 1962 Hong Kong, where a booming local economy has the island state and its people in a mood of optimistic expectation. He's Chow Mo-wan, a newspaper writer, she's Su Li-zhen, a secretary for a shipping company, and since both are married their quotidian encounters are casual, cordial and brief. Until they both learn that their respective spouses, chronically absent physically and emotionally, are carrying on a torrid affair with each other. The chaste relationship between Chow and Su deepens, now colored by mutual heartache and shared loneliness . . . and, perhaps, a little something more, as the two find more and more excuses to spend time together. With Maggie Cheung gorgeous as ever in a dazzling, constantly changing wardrobe, and Tony Leung capable of melting ice with a downcast stare, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is Wong Kar-wai at his best, as evidenced by multiple awards at the 2000 Cannes International Film Festival. (In Cantonese with English subtitles)