Podcast Summary: The Big Picture – 25 Best Movies of the Century, No. 7: In the Mood for Love

Podcast: The Big Picture – The Ringer
Episode: The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 7 – In the Mood for Love
Date: October 29, 2025
Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins

Episode Overview

This episode is part of the “25 for 25” series, where Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins count down their picks for the top 25 movies of the 21st century. Coming in at No. 7 is Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000). The hosts explore its influence, visual mastery, the emotional dynamics within its storytelling, and its enduring place in film culture. They also discuss its legacy and how it compares to other romance films and works from the same era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Challenge of Discussing In the Mood for Love

• Emotion over Dialogue: The film is described as difficult to analyze because it is “not word based”—the narrative is propelled as much by what’s unsaid as by spoken conversations.
  • “There are actually a few important conversations within the film, but even those conversations are...doing double work and are imagined conversations and are not in the here and now.” – Amanda (00:30)
• Purposeful Restraint: Both hosts highlight that the movie’s emotional power comes from what’s left unspoken and the restrained performances.
  • “What they want to say to each other is not said.” – Amanda (00:58)

Wong Kar Wai’s Distinctive Style & Evolution

• A Cinematic Outlier: Sean explains Wong Kar Wai’s prior reputation for kinetic, “messy” filmmaking and how this film represents a refined, composed evolution.
  • “This is a very purposeful, intentional, composed movie. One of the most beautifully composed films of the century.” – Sean (01:13)
• Collaborators: The film is elevated by collaborators like cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Ping Bin Lee, as well as production designer/editor/costume designer William Chang Suk Ping.

Enduring Influence & Cultural Impact (03:20–06:54)

• Art House & Mainstream: The movie’s visual and tonal signature has influenced not only art house filmmakers (e.g., Sofia Coppola, Barry Jenkins) but also advertising and fashion campaigns, especially luxury perfume and watch commercials.
  • “You see in a lot of advertising...a reaching for the beautiful image that you see in a lot of advertising.” – Sean (04:10)
  • “It’s a movie that’s hugely influential in the fashion world as well.” – Amanda (04:25)
• Color & Sensory Detail: Amanda describes the film’s color palette as bordering on synesthetic, evoking physical feeling.
  • “This movie gets the closest to [synesthesia] of creating...using the color to actually create physical feeling.” – Amanda (04:59)

Themes of Longing, Restraint, and Emotional Containment (07:03–15:51)

• Romantic Longing: The central, unconsummated relationship between the protagonists powerfully communicates desire and restraint—a contrast to Western romance films.
  • “This is perhaps the great romantic movie of the century...because it’s effectively unrequited.” – Sean (07:03)
• Loneliness and Urban Life: The hosts discuss how the film captures the smallness and solitude of city life in 1960s Hong Kong, as well as the attempt to find beauty and meaning in mundane circumstances.
  • “There are so many shots of these people alone in, like, small rooms being quiet...how small their lives are.” – Amanda (11:30)
• Period & Place: The film anchors its emotional landscape in period-specific details—moving to a new apartment, economic aspirations, and the immigrant experience in Hong Kong.

The Power of Visual Storytelling (13:01–17:55)

• Minimal Dialogue, Maximum Effect: Extended sequences focus on gesture, costume, and silence to communicate inner emotional states.
  • “This is a movie of quiet, sometimes anguished, but mostly recessed contemplation.” – Sean (13:01)
  • Maggie Cheung’s wardrobe (the cheongsams) is called “electrifying” and among the most influential costumes in film history.
• Musical Motifs: The repetitive use of Yumeji’s Theme and Nat King Cole’s Spanish-language songs crafts an aural mood of longing and cyclical melancholy.

Filmmaking Process & Artistic Intentionality (17:55–19:17)

• Organic Experimentation: The film’s lengthy, iterative production process yielded “unstudied” yet revealing small gestures (e.g., repeated filming to discover the right physical moment).
• “Intentional Looseness”: The unique paradox of Wong Kar Wai’s method—a meticulous vision achieved through improvisation.
  • “You can feel that level of intentionality that is also defined by looseness.” – Sean (19:07)

The Ending & Its Meaning (31:52–33:06)

• Angkor Wat Sequence: The film’s final moments—Tony Leung whispering a secret into a tree—boldly break from the film’s visual pattern of interior, rainy, enclosed spaces to show openness and daylight.
• Ambiguity: The hosts debate whether the whispered secret is about the protagonist’s love, his regrets, or something broader.
  • “Is it about her? Is it about his, like, own failure in life?” – Amanda (32:25)
  • “The movie doesn’t really psychologize them in that way. We don’t get that internal monologue.” – Sean (33:06)

The Stars: Tony Leung & Maggie Cheung (23:32–26:53)

• Iconic Performances: Sean and Amanda praise the restraint in both performances, and note how both actors are better known for action and comedies. Magdalena Chung, especially, is celebrated as “possibly the most beautiful person in movies.”
  • “Restraint is so important [here]...In this movie is about stillness.” – Sean (26:22)
• Lack of American Crossover: They touch on why these two actors have never had their “Michelle Yeoh moment” in American pop culture spotlight.

In the Mood for Love vs. Other Modern Romance & Asian Cinema (39:39–45:32)

• The hosts name-check other contemporary and historic films that either could have taken this slot or which the film represents, such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Brokeback Mountain, Past Lives, Call Me By Your Name, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Happy Together, and Chungking Express.
  • “Eternal Sunshine...is one that would be on a lot of people’s lists and if it were just you, it might be.” – Amanda (41:15)
  • “Portrait of a Lady on Fire...is a movie I like very much. Not quite there...for me.” – Sean (42:59)
• In the Mood for Love is positioned as the “no-brainer” choice for this genre, especially over other Wong Kar Wai movies, though personal favorites differ.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On its unmatched mood and visuals:

  • “This could hang next to a Matisse...the color is what I respond to so much in this movie.” – Amanda (05:13)
  • “Small events, but big feelings. And so it is supposed to be an epic, I think, of emotion or of melodrama.” – Amanda (20:57)

• On restraint and resonance:

  • “It creates a sense of longing that I think is very present in contemporary culture...this feeling of ‘I can’t have what I want’ is very Resonant.” – Sean (07:48)

• Humorous banter:

  • [On the protagonists' age] “Maggie Chung is eternal and we will get to her in a moment.”* – Sean (08:00)
  • [Werther’s Original/old person candy digression] (30:10–30:47)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:13: The challenge of discussing a movie propelled by silence and subtext.
• 04:10–06:54: The film’s influence on fashion, advertising, and a generation of filmmakers.
• 07:03–10:00: Romantic longing, unconsummated love, and the paradox of connection.
• 11:29–12:23: Loneliness, the feeling of “smallness,” and sad yet profoundly romantic mood.
• 13:01–15:03: The visual language of the film—gesture, production design, and how silence conveys story.
• 17:55–19:17: Wong Kar Wai’s unique filmmaking process and its artistic impact.
• 23:32–26:53: A look at Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, their legacy, and the theme of restraint.
• 31:52–33:06: The Angkor Wat ending—openness, ambiguity, and the secret whispered into the tree.
• 39:39–45:32: Comparing In the Mood for Love to other great romances; Asian cinema’s legacy.

The Film’s Legacy & Final Thoughts

• In the Mood for Love continues to be a benchmark for both world cinema and the art of cinematic restraint. According to the hosts, its aesthetic choices and emotional power ripple through modern film, advertising, fashion, and beyond—a film beloved by critics and influential filmmakers alike.
• On inclusion in the top 25:
  “This was a no brainer...Really on the list, like, immediately.” – Amanda (34:39)
• Its standing in polls (No. 4 on The New York Times’ special poll) and snub from the Academy Awards highlights the divide between cinephile acclaim and mainstream recognition.

Conclusion

Sean and Amanda’s conversation affirms In the Mood for Love as both an outlier and a touchstone, remarkable for its visual beauty, haunting emotional complexity, and cultural impact. Their discussion blends personal reflection, aesthetic appreciation, and historical context, giving listeners a layered understanding of why this film is essential viewing—and why it remains timeless 25 years after its release.

Recommended Further Viewing:

• Other Wong Kar Wai films: Chungking Express, Happy Together, 2046
• Influenced films: Lost in Translation, Moonlight, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Past Lives
• Related genres: 90s and 00s romance films with a focus on emotional longing and stylistic restraint.