In the Mood for Love’s Finale of Close-ups

By Chris Anthony Diaz

[A contribution to the Close-Up Blog-a-thon.]

In many Wong Kar Wai films, one can expect, with certainty, extended moments consisting of close-ups. To great effect, Wong and editor William Chang create the Angkor Wat finale of In the Mood for Love (2000) through a series of close-ups. Although the film contains numerous close-ups throughout, the finale possesses the most effectively evocative ones. With the assembly of close-ups working in dialectic unison, one can either interpret them as Wong and Chang prolonging the moment, or us simply witnessing the instance as a sequence of different shots composed aesthetically. Either way it’s a pleasure to behold.

The assembly of close-ups begin with Chow Mo-wan’s face seen at an angle in long take, emphasizing the slight unsteadiness of his head unable to remain still before whispering his secret, a sort of close-up of subtle body movement. It undeniably marks the earnestness of the moment. Plus, Wong deliberately avoids presenting Chow’s close-up from a flat visual plane, further dazzling the viewer with his flair for composition:

Wong and Chang replay the moment by cutting to the rear of Chow’s head:

And to that of a monk’s as though Wong and Chang were maximizing the emotional resonance of every close-up possibility:

Of Tony Leung’s finger, paving the hole to receive his whispered secret:

And of a pitted temple wall with vegetation growing outward from within, which symbolizes the vitality of Chow’s repressed love for Su Li-zhen:

Wong’s decision to use a montage of close-ups achieves a cumulative emotional impact and poignancy because of his decision to offer different aspects both of the temple setting and of Chow. Chow Mo-wan and the audience attain melancholic closure through this series of close-ups, especially in the moment where Wong crops out Chow’s face, placing focus on the movement of Chow’s neck as he whispers his feelings through his cupped hand into the hole:

This finale is one of the most sublime moments ever seen in Wong Kar Wai’s body of work, and it epitomizes the power of cinematic close-up to emotionally touch the viewer.
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Chris Anthony Diaz is the creator of the blog CAD Pictures. He takes photographs, makes short films and writes about movies too.