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Review

This precious, stylish gem begins in Hong Kong in 1962 and focuses on the forbidden love between two neighbors, Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan (the dashingly handsome Leung and the mesmerizingly beautiful Cheung). They’re both stuck in lonesome marriages to absent mates. In fact, their estranged spouses are so distant we never actually get to see their faces. Propelled by a seductive musical score and rapturous cinematography, the timid pair dares to awaken in each other the tenderness their lonely marriages have long deprived them of. The poignant tragedy of their story is that they can barely acknowledge their love for each other for fear of shaming their families and themselves forever. Leung and Cheung set the screen on fire with their unspoken tension and smoldering sensuality and they both deliver heart-wrenching performances. And director Kar-Wai demonstrates a masterful sense of composition — every shot is exquisite. Bears favorable comparison to another tale of repression and unrequited love, The Remains of the Day. (Cantonese with English subtitles).