Wong Kar-Wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love’ Marks 25 Years with a 4K Restoration and Lost Sequel
There are films you go to see, and then there are films that see you. Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love is one of those rare cinematic experiences that seems to linger in the air long after the credits wrap up. Released in 2000 and now regarded as a cornerstone of contemporary international cinema, this dreamy, slow-burning tale of restrained emotion and missed timing is back on the big screen for its 25th anniversary — and this time, in a newly restored 4K edition.
Set in 1960s Hong Kong, the film follows journalist Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) and secretary Su Li-Zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk), two neighbors who discover their spouses are having an affair. What begins as a series of formal, almost hesitant exchanges slowly evolves into a tender, complex connection built on shared hurt and quiet longing. Theirs is a relationship defined not by grand declarations, but by silences, glances, and what is not said.
The look of In the Mood for Love is still unlike anything else. The rich reds, soft lighting, and rainy back alleys make every shot feel like a memory you can’t quite shake. Cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Ping-Bin Lee create a mood that pulls you in and holds you there, with a soundtrack that leans into the heartache and yearning. It’s a film where the style is all about emotion, tension, and longing, all wrapped up in perfectly tailored clothes.
Originally intended as part of a three part series about food, the film became its own entity — one so captivating it took priority over its original concept. A lesser-known segment of that project, In the Mood for Love 2001, was screened only once during Wong Kar-Wai’s masterclass at Cannes. Now, for the first time, this “dessert course,” as Wong once described it, is being released more widely, further deepening the lore of the original.
The 25th Anniversary Special Edition will screen in 4k on June 27 at the IFC Center in New York and at the BFI Southbank in London, giving audiences on both sides of the Atlantic a rare chance to see the film—and its newly added companion piece — in theaters.
This anniversary release is a rare chance to experience In the Mood for Love the way it was meant to be seen — slowly, intimately, and in the dark, with your heart string slowly being pulled. The 4K restoration brings new clarity to every lingering glance and passing shadow, while the addition of In the Mood for Love 2001 adds another layer to its quiet world of what-ifs and almosts. This anniversary is an opportunity to experience a re-immersion into a film that still knows how to make time stand still..
Photo — IFC Center
