iklelele’s review published on Letterboxd:
A piece of artistry, so deceivingly beautiful, intimate and seductive that it leaves you with a strange mix of feelings ranging from utter melancholy to pure fascination. Something comparable to one walking through a dimly lit alley on a rainy day in a big city. Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love appears within grasp on numerous occasions, causing you to believe you are in the realm of understanding as to how the story will unfold and that you have successfully figured out both protagonists. Though how many times did I have to realise the playful, mostly improvised dialogue and the spectre-like spouses fooled me once again as it finds amusement in having you wonder whether their conversation was just a rehearsal or the long-awaited main play.
As both Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan are drawn together by pain and the will of encrypting and comprehending their spouses affair, Wong Kar-Wai captures their retention of confronting their partners with simple, yet divulging camera work as each shot is premeditated meticulously and conveys not solely emotions, but more so their state of mind. The seemingly looping sequence of restrictive, small-scale settings induces character focused scenes entirely and demonstrate the intimacy lingering between each left alone spouse. Shigeru Umebayashi's music complements the previous aspect, creating an enigmatic atmosphere parallel to the main plot.
In the Mood for Love ends as Mrs. Chan's unjustifiable righteousness and uphold of morality puts an end to the never fully explored mutual feelings between her and Mr. Chow which in turn not only sends him off on a crestfallen note but also us.
What may appear to be a strinkingly simplistic, uneventful film at first glance, is nothing less than an intricate cinematic treasure.