100th Review: In the Mood for Love (2000)

In the Mood for Love; or, Secrets of the Flowery Years

     It is a restless moment. She has kept her head lowered... to give him a chance to come closer. But he could not, for lack of courage. She turns and walks away.

Well, here it is, my 100th blog review. To some bloggers it may not seem to be a great achievement, but I have never expected to come so far when I launched this blog over 3 years ago. Many things have changed since then (which is a subject for another post), but I tried to make the latest reviews as special as they could possibly be. For my 100th film to be discussed, I did not want to write about any random movie, but the one which I regard as one of the most important in the history of moviemaking. Hence, this is my review of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love.

Release Info

Directed by: Wong Kar-wai Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Rebecca Pan

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 花樣年華 Runtime: 98 min

Synopsis

Hong Kong, the 1960s. Mrs Chan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Mr Chow (Maggie Cheung) rent rooms in the adjacent apartments on the same day. They move in with their spouses who are extremely busy as each of them works abroad. Mrs Chan and Mr Chow often spent their lonely days in the neighbouring apartments, accidentally encountering each other from time to time. With the passage of days and weeks, they begin to suspect that their spouses are cheating on them with each other. Mrs Chan and Mr Chow share their suspicions with one another, but they do not dare confront the situation. In fact, the two try to understand how the romance was initiated and they grow closer together in the process, yet Mrs Chan and Mr Chow do not want their relation to transform into a typical love affair...

Tenderness of Devotion

First of all, I was quite shocked to discover the polarity of opinions about In the Mood for Love. I did not expect everyone to unanimously hail the movie as the art-house masterpiece, but for each positive comment there is a negative one, for example: 90 minutes of boredom; Wong Kar-wai is a hack; Why didn’t they just live happily together? Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I suspect on the basis of the enumerated statements that some of the viewers did not entirely understood the story that was laid out in this film.

In the Mood for Love is not a standard romance picture focusing on the development of a burning passion between two people. Rather than that, it is about the understanding of love as a feeling. Mr Chow and Mrs Chan’s relationship stems directly from the infidelity of their spouses. Instead of dealing with this issue, they re-enact the moments of temptation. Through this complex series of re-enactments, they gradually start caring for each other. Mrs Chan makes Mr Chow a sesame syrup when he’s sick and Mr Chow asks Mrs Chan for tips when writing a martial arts serial for a newspaper. They build a perfect world around themselves in order to escape from their marital solitude, yet at the same time, they dread to come clean about their feelings.

On the one hand, they do not want to confront their spouses, but on the other, they are afraid of gossip and social ostracism. "We will never be like them," says Mrs Chan at one point. The two protagonists are entrapped in the confinements of their own doubts and insecurities, whereas the viewers become the voyeurs of their daily interactions. Only when Mr Chow confesses his love to Mrs Chan is the existence of their microcosm destroyed completely. "I thought we wouldn’t be like them, but I was wrong," says Mr Chow. However, it is not the end of their story.

What can I say more about this movie? It is visually stunning, but the form does not overshadow the thought-provoking content. 15 months of shooting under the skilled guidance of Wong Kar-Wai and two brilliant cameramen, who provided magnificent cinematography (Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin), resulted in a breathtaking experience that is In the Mood for Love. The enchanting and evocative soundtrack provided by Michael Galasso and Shigeru Umebayashi cannot be forgotten as well. With regard to performances, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are at their very best here, outstanding and mesmerising with their unforgettable performances.

Recommendations

Highly recommended to anyone who would like to spend a thoughtful evening immersed in the painting-like world crafted by Wong Kar-wai. To be honest, I enjoyed the movie more during the second viewing after a couple of years. It leaves you thinking about such things as love, longing, nostalgia, and past. I wish that Mr Chow and Mrs Chan could be together, but that’s a happy ending which does not always take place in real life... All things considered, I would really like to visit Angkor and whisper into a hole that I consider In the Mood for Love to be a modern masterpiece of Asian cinema.

     He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane, the past is something he could see, but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct.

Overall score: 10/10

Akira (1988) [Anime Review]

Akira; or, Dangerous Days in Neo-Tokyo

     Look at what they abandoned in their panic. They were afraid. They were too scared so they hid it away from the public... losing all sense of shame and honour, casting aside the civilisation... and abandoning the science that created it. Shutting the lid of the Pandora's box they, themselves, had opened!

Firstly, I have to point out that Akira was supposed to be the 98th review, but unexpected chores forced me to amend the queue list. However, it does not change the fact that for years I wanted to review this outstanding anime, yet I dreaded it at the same time. I was simply afraid that I won’t be able to handle the magnitude of this sci-fi masterpiece. Nevertheless, the fact that the movie has its 30th anniversary, and that 2019 is just around the corner, made me overcome my fears and finally review the one and only Akira.

Release Info

Directed by: Katsuhiro Otomo Voice actors: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama

Language: Japanese Original Title: アキラ Runtime: 124 min

 

Synopsis

It’s the future, it’s the year 2019, 31 years after the outbreak of World War III. On the ashes of Tokyo, a new capital called Neo-Tokyo has been built. The post-war society is divided between the out-of-touch ruling class, rioting workers, and youngsters who organise themselves into motorcycle gangs. One night, during the fight between the Capsules and the Clowns, Tetsuo barely avoids crashing into a child on a highway. All of a sudden, the army steps in and they take the child away along with wounded Tetsuo in front of his friend, Kaneda. Tetsuo is subjected to various tests and Doctor Onishi determines that he is a suitable candidate for the military project which involves training children with powerful psychic abilities. However, Tetsuo breaks loose and goes on a rampage. Head of the project, Colonel Shikishima, as well as Kaneda, try to stop him but without any effect. Tetsuo is hell-bent on facing his greatest opponent, the mysterious Akira himself.

 

“A future that we can choose for ourselves”

What can I say about Akira? Well, it’s undoubtedly the paragon of marvellously visual triumph. Even though the movie is already 30 years old, it still looks beautiful, especially when compared to modern-day computer animations. All in all, it was hand-drawn, frame by frame, by a team of skilled and relentless artists!

 

Katsuhiro Otomo can easily be considered a creative god as he not only came up with the idea for a manga story, but he also wrote and directed its adaptation, just two years before finishing the whole story-arc in the comic books. From my own experience, I can tell that watching Akira cold is not quite a good idea because the plot is very hard to follow. Some of the things are only alluded to and the origin of Akira is not clearly explained. When I read the manga, however, and came back to the movie again, the unfolding events became much clearer.

 

Still, I do not encourage you to read through 6 thick volumes of manga to get up to speed. It’s something I did on my own because I wanted to see and feel more of this post-apocalyptic cyberpunk world which Otomo created. Is the movie radically different from the manga? I would say no. In its two-hour runtime, it manages to cover roughly 50% of the events from the comics. The other 50% which did not make it into the picture are tons of subplots and side-quests, plus extensive exposition and character development.

 

I dare to say that the film is superior to the manga as it efficiently ties in everything together. Some of the things might have been explained more, but the story is still extremely enjoyable. Even Kaneda comes off as the real protagonist who undergoes an inner change by the end of the movie, instead of being a designated hero in the manga. In fact, the only thing which the manga does better (apart from dragging the plot by making the characters journey from point A to B all the time) is the dynamic between Tetsuo and Akira. Like... two thirds into the comic book tale, they become the rulers of Neo-Tokyo and it is uncertain who is the master and who is the slave in this twisted relation.

 

The amount of blood, sweat and tears that went into the making of this movie is unbelievable! 8 different companies involved, the budget of 1 billion yen, 2000 pages of notes, thousands of storyboards, and over 160,000 animation cells. The immensity of this endeavour is even more impressive in comparison to today’s standards. There was also a lot of stuff going on outside of the process of animation. Actors did pre-recorded dialogue on the basis of storyboards and they physically acted out their parts as if they were staging a radio drama. In addition, the awe-inspiring music score (composed by Shoji Yamashiro and recorded by Geino Yamashirogumi collective) provided a totally new dimension of depth to the world of Akira. All the evidence can be found in this making of featurette.

 

Recommendations

Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in discovering the highlights of the cyberpunk genre the right way. My only issue with Akira is that it’s at times extremely violent, thus I don’t come back to it as often as to, for example, Blade Runner (1982). In other words, you need to be in the right mood for Akira. Additionally, there’s a lot of talk going on about the Hollywood remake recently. My question is: Why? Akira does not need a live action adaptation because it IS a live action movie itself. Its immortal legacy will continue to influence new generations of sci-fi fans, just as Tetsuo will continue to exist in another dimension.

Overall score: 9.5/10
Upcoming next time: 100th review!

Love Letter (1995) [Film Review]

Love Letter: or, In Search for the Lost Memories

     “Dear Fujii Itsuki, How are you? I’m very well.” – Watanabe Hiroko

Just when I begin to think that the Japanese cinema can’t surprise me any further, a movie like Love Letter comes along. To be honest, I resented watching this picture, because it has such a convoluted online synopsis. Nevertheless, I finally brought myself round and played the film... Two hours later I was lying on the carpet heartbroken and wrought with anger at myself for not having seen this beautiful masterpiece earlier.

Release Info

Directed by: Shunji Iwai Starring: Miho Nakayama, Miki Sakai, Etsushi Toyokawa

Language: Japanese Alternative Title: When I Close My Eyes Runtime: 116 min

Synopsis

Watanabe Hiroko (Miho Nakayama) is a woman living in the city of Kobe. Two years earlier, her fiancé, Fujii Itsuki (Takashi Kashiwabara), died in a mountain climbing accident. Still in depression and grief, Hiroko writes a letter to her dead fiancé and sends it to the address she found in his old high-school yearbook. However, it was the wrong Fujii Itsuki she found in a book. The mail reaches Otaru, a northern town, far away from Kobe, and the letter is received by Fujii Itsuki, a female (also played by Miho Nakayama). Soon after, Watanabe Hiroko is surprised that she received a response from her dead fiancé. In consequence, a remarkable correspondence between the two women ensues.

Eternal Waiting

Love Letter marked the theatrical beginning of Shunji Iwai’s filmmaking career, the director of such acclaimed pictures as Picnic (1996), Swallowtail Butterfly (1996), and All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001). It should be noted that the screenplay and the subsequent novel based on the film were written by him as well.

So what Love Letter is all about? Well, it is mainly about the experience of feeling. In order to understand what I mean, I suggest that you watch at least the first two minutes of the picture. When Miho Nakayama gets up from the snow, the camera pans out to reveal the overview of a city in winter, and just as Remedios’ captivating music kicks in, the movie immediately steals your heart.

However, the film is not so much about the process of overcoming grief, but rather about immersing oneself in memories of the past. Watanbe Hiroko may be the first character we are introduced to, but it is female Fujii Itsuki who seems very much to be the protagonist of the whole story. Through her recollections, the viewers and Hiroko discover the elusive figure of male Fujii Itsuki, who he was and how he interacted with others. The fact that Miho Nakayama plays the two characters who exchange letters is not without any meaning, but I do not intend to spoil the twist for you.

The primary advantage of Love Letter is the enchantingly beautiful world and its characters which Shunji Iwai carefully crafted. The director must have drew a lot of inspiration from the late Krzysztof Kieślowski (The Double Life of Veronique (1991) and The Three Colours Trilogy (1993-1994)) in terms of handling cinematography and complementing visuals with music. I simply fell in love with the snow-laden city of Otaru and I hope that I will live to see the day when I’m gonna be able to do some live location scouting out there.

In terms of performances, Miho Nakayama steals the show as Watanabe Hiroko/Fujii Itsuki. Having known her as a great j-pop singer (but not the best), it is quite out of the ordinary to see her playing two contrasting parts almost effortlessly! However, other actors also do a fine job. Miki Sakai deserves the second highest praise as a young female Fujii Itsuki (she really looked like a younger version of Miho Nakayama!). Etsushi Toyokawa does well as Hiroko’s friend, whereas Bunjaku Han and Katsuyuki Shinohara are unforgettable as female Itsuki’s family.

By far, the most touching scene of the movie, at least in my opinion, is “Ogenki desu ka?” moment. I found it so powerful and relatable that I was forcefully withholding tears! What is happening to me? I have to get a grip. No! I cannot, because this movie is so gloriously brilliant in its evocation of sentimentality and nostalgia for things long gone...

 

Recommendations

Safely recommended to anyone. If you happen to stumble upon this 23-year-old gem, do not waste time and grab it! One side note though. There seems to be no R1 dvd release of the movie. It was released in the US under the VHS title When I Close My Eyes, but that was basically it. Go for R3 release instead. Many reviewers praise Love Letter as the greatest romance story from Japan. To me, it is the greatest sentimental story ever told! It is not so much about love, but coming to terms with oneself. Dear Watanabe Hiroko...

Overall score: 10/10!

Upcoming next time: 99th review!

Note: This review was published in a re-edited form on AMP (August 27, 2019)