This beautiful, quiet film is a love story of sorts between two neighbors whose spouses are having an affair. Unfortunately, I almost missed all the subtleties that were happening, because I kept getting distracted by the female lead’s collection of gorgeous dresses. (And the light fixtures. And the wallpaper. What can I say? I love 60s design.) Although I don’t recommend being distracted during this film, I do recommend paying attention to the outfits. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is paced so carefully, and all the scenes flow so effortlessly together, that it almost feels like the entire story slowly unfolds over a single day. If you pay attention to the wardrobe changes, however, you’ll realize that the single day is in fact composed of hundreds of small moments spread out over hundreds of days, each one weighted with its own significance.
CRITERION AFFECTION 