.jeri.

Yes, I think I'll stick to these five-minute reviews until I get caught up. It's been so long since I've seen some of these movies that it's probably best for me to keep it short anyway, since I can't remember specific details.

In the Mood for Love stars Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung as a man and woman with a similar problem - they realize their spouses are having an affair. They spend time with each other, trying to piece together how the affair might have started. As they spend time commiserating with each other, they form a friendship. That friendship develops into deeper feelings, but the two are determined not to be adulterers like their spouses. What results is a movie full of friendship, longing, and sadness.

I know I often complain about movies that gratuitously repeat a musical theme, but somehow the repeating theme in this movie is just so beautiful that it didn't bother me. It evokes emotion at just the right times, and coupled with Wong Kar Wai's visual style, I loved it. I really enjoyed all of the uses of colors and shadows; each scene is perfectly costumed, lit, and staged.

What I really appreciated about this movie was the idea that, while it's easy for the audience to say that these two are free to be with each other because their spouses have essentially already ended their marriages, they won't allow themselves to be with each other. They have a strong connection, but the hurt that their spouses have caused is stronger, and they will not allow themselves to be just like their spouses. I loved that touch to the story; it's a forbidden love story, but it's self-imposed forbidden love, which makes it all the more interesting.

When I watched Chungking Express, I could see the potential for great things from Wong Kar Wai but was ultimately frustrated by some of his stylistic choices, but In the Mood for Love is where he gets everything completely right. It was interesting, expressive, and so lush. I'm so glad I saw it.