Cinematic Doctrine

In the Mood for Love - Melanie Dejesus and Falling for a Fiction

November 22, 2022 Melanie Dejesus, Stephen McFerron Season 1 Episode 132
Cinematic Doctrine
In the Mood for Love - Melanie Dejesus and Falling for a Fiction
Show Notes

MOVIE DISCUSSION: 

Melanie Dejesus joins Stephen and Melvin to talk about another Criterion Collection entry, In the Mood for Love. Often considered in competition for Wong Kar-Wai's best film against Chungking Express, the three discuss its themes of unfulfilled romance and intimacy, as well as meditations on time.

Topics: 

  • (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 25-minutes talking about foreign movies we recommend, from kung-fu flicks to zombie horror! (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 
  • Melanie immediately caught on to the film's usage of music and loved how it balanced its romance and friendship between Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan.
  • Melvin felt the film cleverly depicted scenes as dreamy, which is amplified with the aforementioned soundtrack including multicultural music.
  • Stephen, "I think more than anything, it's the way the movie looks, sounds, and feels that really connects with me."
  • Our two leads are simultaneously emotionally complex and emotionally immature.
  • Discussing the developed motif for the song "Yumeji's theme", which plays several times within In the Mood for Love.
  • In the Mood for Love displays a very dynamic and extensive image of the allure toward a lifestyle that cannot and will not fulfill someone's lost desires.
  • In the Mood for Love is also the kind of movie that is both extremely interpretable and also clear about its themes.
  • A discussion on non-sexual, intimate co-ed relationships in a religious culture that often separates or discourages co-ed relationships, despite living in a post-sexual revolution world where an individual's sexuality may not be heteronormative.
  • In the Mood for Love also has a strong through-line about time and transition, and the fleeting nature of present or potential joy.

Recommendations: 

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