The Big Picture

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 7 - 'In The Mood for Love’

12 snips
Oct 29, 2025
The hosts dive into Wong Kar-wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love,’ exploring its lyrical mood rather than dialogue. They celebrate its stunning cinematography and the film's profound influence on filmmakers and visual culture. The discussion ventures into the themes of longing and unrequited romance, examining the characters' emotional restraint and the evocative use of color and fashion. They also reflect on the film's ambiguous ending and its critical legacy, comparing it to other celebrated romantic films.
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INSIGHT

Wong's Painterly Reinvention

  • Wong Kar-wai elevated his style into a composed, painterly romance that redefined modern art-house cinema.
  • The film's influence extends beyond movies into advertising and fashion, shaping contemporary aesthetic tastes.
INSIGHT

Color As Emotional Music

  • The film's color, composition, and costumes function like visual music, creating synesthetic emotional effects.
  • Amanda Dobbins compares its color study to hanging next to works by Matisse or Ellsworth Kelly.
INSIGHT

Longing Over Consummation

  • The film's restraint and unconsummated longing make it arguably the great romantic movie of the century.
  • Its sense of wanting what you can't have resonates more now because people live lives mediated by screens.
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