Fa yeung nin wa (2000)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Kar Wai Wong

Writer:

Kar Wai Wong (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Feel the heat, keep the feeling burning, let the sensation explode.

Plot:

A man and a woman move in to neighboring Hong Kong apartments and form a bond when they both suspect their spouses of extra-marital activities.

Plot Keywords:

Hong Kong | Newspaper | Apartment | Japan | What Happened To Epilogue

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 31 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Maggie Cheung	...	Su Li-zhen - Mrs. Chan
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Chow Mo-wan
Ping Lam Siu	...	Ah Ping
Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung	...	Man living in Mr. Koo's apartment
Rebecca Pan	...	Mrs. Suen
Kelly Lai Chen	...	Mr. Ho (as Lai Chen)
Man-Lei Chan	...	Mr. Koo
Tsi-Ang Chin	...	Amah
Roy Cheung	...	Mr. Chan (voice)
Paulyn Sun	...	Mrs. Chow (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Po-chun Chow
Kam-wah Koo
Hsien Yu

Also Known As:

In the Mood for Love (France) (Hong Kong: English title) (UK) (USA)
Beijing Summer (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)
Flower Like Years (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)
Hua yang nian hua (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and brief language.

Runtime:

98 min | Poland:94 min

Country:

Hong Kong | France

Language:

Cantonese | Shanghainese | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Block 2 Pictures

Trivia:

Filming was shifted from Beijing to Macau after Chinese authorities demanded to see the completed script. The director never uses scripts.

Goofs:

Continuity: Before Su Li-zhen bestowed her landlady with a electric rice cooker, there already was one sitting on the kitchen counter in an earlier scene.

Quotes:

Chow Mo-wan: Feelings can creep up just like that. I thought I was in control.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lost in Translation (2003)

Soundtrack:

Te Quiero Dijiste

Moody Mis-en-scene

The most attractive factor that lies in this masterpiece of a film is not the beautiful lead actors. It isn't their outstanding acting and sizzling chemistry either.

To me, it is the mis-en-scene of the entire movie. The settings, the lighting, the props... all add to the mood for love between the main characters. A whiff of smoke from Chow's cigarette tells us his state of mind, the ever-changing tight-fitting cheongsams of Lizhen reflects the constraints of decision-making, the ruins of Angkor Wat ties in with the deteriorating relationship of the two leads.

The excellent use of mis-en-scene gives the film just the right amount of feel needed to flesh out the complicated nature of the characters' relationship. The film leaves the audience fruitlessly yearning for more.