Frequent rainfall and Li-zhen's nightly trips to the neighborhood noodle bar give the film its dramatic tempo. The story pauses to slow motion to emphasize the daily routine of its would-be lovers' solitary lives. It's amazing what In the Mood for Love is able to accomplish with such sparse narrative. In the Mood for Love is worlds apart from the straight-forward storytelling practiced by most American films. Much of the film's core drama is left unresolved.
Final images set in a Cambodian temple are better for being intentionally mysterious.
There is little sense of finality in Wong Kar-wai's artful melodrama. Still, it's heart-wrenching just the same. Actor Liam Neeson provides celebrity narration. The Moody Blues supply a soundtrack appropriate for aging baby-boomers. Endless tracking shots take audiences over canyons, rain forests and icy tundra in dizzy fashion.