- Director: Wong Kar-wai
- Year: 2000
Overview
Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen move into neighboring apartments in Hong Kong. They realize their spouses are having an affair with each other, which brings them together. They start spending time together to understand how the affair happened. They rehearse how their spouses met and how they confront them. They promise they won't be like their cheating partners, but they develop deep feelings anyway. The gossip of their neighbors and the pressure of society keep them apart. They eventually go their separate ways, carrying their unspoken secrets for years through the quiet streets.
Takeaways
Living in such close quarters means the neighbors are always watching and gossiping, which makes it really hard for Chow and Su to spend time together. They have to sneak around just to talk because they don't want to start any rumors. When they role-play their spouses' affair, they're trying to make sense of the betrayal, but they end up falling in love themselves. Their decision not to cross the line and act like their cheating spouses is a heartbreaking choice. Ultimately, the pressure to conform to what society expects of them keeps them apart, leaving them with nothing but regrets.