IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Wong Kar-wai | 2000 | Hong Kong | 1h38m | Cantonese with English subtitles
Two neighbours discover their spouses are having an affair. Instead of confronting them, they begin spending time together, trying to understand how it happened, and slowly find themselves drawn into an intimacy they refuse to let become the same betrayal.
Wong Kar-wai builds the film through what is withheld. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung rarely say exactly what they feel. Emotion accumulates through glances, pauses, repeated encounters and the effort both characters make to keep themselves within boundaries they have set.
The spaces around them do just as much work. Hallways, stairwells, doorways and narrow rooms repeatedly place the pair close together while still keeping them separated. Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin photograph these interiors through mirrors, frames and partial views, so the environment itself becomes part of the tension between them.
William Chang’s production design and costumes deepen that effect. Maggie Cheung’s changing cheongsams mark the passage of time and give each encounter a distinct visual identity, while repeated music and familiar routes turn everyday routines into something charged with memory.
Upon release, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE was recognised as one of the major romantic films of its era, and its influence has spread far beyond Hong Kong cinema. Its use of colour, confined spaces, repetition and fragmented glimpses has become part of the visual language of modern screen romance.
What makes it endure is how little it needs to state directly. The film is about desire, missed timing and the choices people make when acting on what they feel would cost them something they are not prepared to lose.
ABOUT ASIAN FILM WEEK
Asian Film Week is exactly the kind of programming FOMO exists for: major classics, cult discoveries and films you rarely get the chance to see on a cinema screen in Tbilisi. This week has been curated with Denis from Ukraine, a FOMO Film Club lifetime member with a real passion for Asian cinema, whose recommendations helped fill some gaps in my own knowledge and pushed the programme in directions I might not have reached alone.
A lot of care has gone into making the week feel broad, balanced and genuinely worth exploring. You’ll find landmark films from directors already well known in the West alongside stranger, more underground work that deserves a much wider audience. If Asian cinema is already your thing, I hope there are still a few surprises here. If it isn’t, I hope this week gives you a great place to start...
10% OFF FOOD, PLUS GROUP DEALS
Dinner before a film at FOMO is now sorted! We’ve arranged special offers with our two favourite places to eat in Bazari Orbeliani, both right next door to FOMO:
10% off at La Focacceria
20% off at Potato Factory
Potato Factory 2+1: buy two and get one free
Potato Factory 3+2: buy three and get two free
Simply show your Fienta ticket when ordering. You’re welcome to eat in the Sherekilebi Bar at FOMO Secret Cinema or upstairs at FOMO Open-Air Cinema. Tell them where you’ll be sitting and they’ll bring your food to you.
FOOD AND DRINK POLICY: SHEREKILEBI Bar in FOMO Secret Cinema opens 1 hour before the first screening of the day and closes at 01:30, serving a wide selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic refreshments including coffee and tea, as well as fresh hot popcorn! Outside food is allowed in the bar but not in the cinema. No alcohol or drinks from outside are allowed. All guests are invited to arrive early and stay late!
LOCATION: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.
HOW TO FIND FOMO: Enter Bazari Orbeliani via Atoneli St above Carrefour and take the stairs on your left to Level 1. Signage on the door. You can also check our Instagram story highlights for a video showing exactly how to find us: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTMzMTA2Mjk0MDI5MjM1
REFUND & CREDIT POLICY: If FOMO cancels a screening, all ticket holders will receive a full refund. If your plans change and you can no longer attend, we’ll issue you a credit for the value of your ticket, which can be used for any FOMO film screening within the following 30 days. Please notify us in advance so we can release your seat to another film fan.
TICKETS are also available at SHEREKILEBI Bar on arrival unless sold out.
FOMO Secret Cinema • Bazari Orbeliani, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia
