In The Mood For Love: Frames Within Frames

For my philosophy teacher, the "trap" they were in was that they had fallen in love with each other because they were the faithful ones, but to act on it would make them unfaithful, thus breaking the grounds of what brought them together. I like this theory, it gives their choices a more deep meaning instead of just being social pressure or fantasy.

The blocking in this movie was brilliant. The particular scene where Mrs. Chan confronts his husband but it turns actually was Mr. Chow. Director was literally manipulating into believing that it was her husband. That was the best scene for me in the movie, how it unfolded.

Tony Leung knows how to smoke with total class and style.

Not a single kiss scene and the impact it has is just amazing

For me the frames within frames created atmosphere of tension. It somehow felt that characters were "stuck" in these frames: between walls, between neighbors, between social norms, between their spouses' phantoms as you called. The pain they suffered was intensified with these walls. They don't let you breathe. This movie is painfully great. p.s. and the music is just brilliant!

"The mere possibility of a connection, not the connection itself, is what sustains them now" .... wow, that is so sad.

I feel like these frames were meant to symbolize intimacy as well as oppression. It's oppressive because Mrs Chan is afraid of what people will say if they see her together with Mr Chow so these two always stay within the frames but they can't ever break free (from their marriages or from social prejudices). And it's about intimacy too because when I see Mrs Chan and Mr Chow alone within another frame, I feel like what I'm doing is voyeurism. I'm intruding their intimacy. The viewer is basically an outsider but is also part of the movie.

« He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane. The past is someting he could see but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct. » In the mood for love

this movie is like an ultimate case of edging and then never really getting a release. So brutal yet beautiful

We ask questions in a way to listen to the answers we want.

For me, the fact that the director and actors themselves made up the script on the fly is the most incredible part. Would have been intriguing to have been a fly on the wall in the making of this masterpiece

i think the most interesting part of this is how their surveillance is mostly self-imposed. mrs chan even says it when she’s talking to mr chow, that they are probably being too cautious. and it’s true in a way. we never hear from any of the gossipers in question about mr chan and mrs chow. we just hear from mr chow and mrs chan that there is potential gossip. maybe they didnt need to be so careful, and if they werent, maybe they could have evolved past their simple ideation into real, genuine love.

Frames within frames (scrutiny by others), but also the extensive use of mirrors, reflections, and shadows. We often see the characters not as they are, but images of who they are. Which is what fantasy is: not the real thing, but a twist on the real thing. Also, mirrors are about examining the self, which is what these characters do. They are endless examining themselves, their relationship with themselves, and their relationships with their spouses.

In the Spanish translation (and I'm guessing on the original version, as well) the characters would speak to each other by using pronouns in formal/respectful form; while switching to the familiar form during the re-enactment portions. This subtle touch frames the duality of the relationship between them even further by maintaining the proper social distance while being their "real" personas.

This film probably had the biggest impact on my life as a amateur photographer in HK, inspiring me to love the city and the art in equal measures and in an interconnected manner. For me, each still is a lesson in composition. The framing, the reflections, the silhouettes and shadowplay, the vivid colours (red in particular), the low angles, the soft lighting, the blurred foregrounds (to name a few) - all adding to the magic of storytelling and evoking emotions so powerful and poignant that you can’t help but be in the mood for love (…for good cinema!)

"The mere possibility of a connection, not the connection itself." One of the greatest quotes I've heard. I love your essays man. Keep doing it

I never really noted the complex significance of them portraying each other spouses, I thought it was just a way for them to cope. Thank you

Such an intelligent and innovative film, also one of the most beautiful color films I've ever seen.

"'In the mood for love' is a gorgeous, quiet and painful exploration of what happens when the fantasy you create for yourself is a perverse one, when it only serves to keep you from confronting the pain that it was created to avoid". Indeed, such a relatable case.

I have seen this movie close to 20 times now. It's my one of fav movies. What makes it aesthetically beautiful is that there are fewer dialogues yet you get immersed in the story. Every frame of the movie looks like a painting. Such painstakingly beautiful movie. I badly wanted both the characters to hook up and get revenge on their respective cheating partners. But they did not and guess that's the beauty . 10/10 would watch again.❤️