10.08.2002
A great misreprentation? |
In the Mood for Love
Directed by : Wong Kar Wai Starring: Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Released : 2000 Time: 98 minutes "We will never be like them!" probably was what Director Wong Kar Wai wanted to tell the cast of ITMFL as he compares them with other melodrama movies of the same genre, and yes probably with the Chinese Tarantino's own movies as well (Chung King Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together). But this is the favorite line expressed by the protagonists as they compare what their spouses did to them. Many times in this film had me thinking that we Filipinos can actually do the same, if not improve on what the director has done, mixing the elements of atmosphere (smoke, the rain, music, the cheongsam), characters (underplaying) and emotions (restraint, permissiveness). I liked the play with the giant clock, mystifying the effect that time is passing by or the going up and down on the stairs, signalling the development of emotions between the two protagonists. The other characters do not play that much, in fact, their spouses were never seen at all in full view during the film's entirety. The storyline was not why I went out of my way, alone, to view the film. I wanted to see the cinematography. Pictures from the films such as the Siemens clock, the temple, the arches, the dark alleys, the cobbled pathways and the hands. Overall, the film didn't move me. Although I wanted it to. The movie poster was a great misrepresentation. I never saw that scene in the film. Probably I closed my eyes long enough (in short, I dozed off). Whatever it is, I only paid a mere P 80 (or $ 1.60) to see it. So I got my money's worth. Other related reviews by co-Filipino bloggers: butas na chucks |