Ideological Analysis: Exploring Themes in 'In the Mood for Love'

This essay delves into the ideological values reflected in Wong Kar-Wai's film 'In the Mood for Love,' examining how the movie portrays social norms, cultural expectations, and the characters' struggles with their roles in 1960s Hong Kong. The analysis covers the director's unique filmmaking style, the use of music, and the implicit ways in which the film addresses themes of love, desire, and societal constraints. It discusses how the protagonists, trapped in unhappy marriages, develop a complex relationship, and how their desire for escape is limited by psychological and social pressures. The essay also explores the viewer's expectations for a romantic resolution and how the tragic ending underscores the power of time and social ideologies. Ultimately, the analysis suggests that the film reflects a blend of traditional Chinese values and a commentary on the consequences of deviating from social norms, highlighting the tension between individual desires and societal expectations.

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Reflection of Ideologies in films - In the Mood for Love
Ideology refers to a group of concepts which show the social needs of individuals, groups
of people, class and even cultural backgrounds. So it indicates some systematic “world view”
which outlines our ideas about the self and association of the self to any kind of collectivism.
Ideology also indicates a system of beliefs and the rules within those systems. Sometimes these
beliefs could even be unrecognized and even unquestioned. At times we may know we are
controlled but still we have to accept the notion that the good is going to override the bad. People
may also have to accept that the system can address our needs and purpose adequately. This
might happen despite the fact that the people we work for are making all the money (Grant). Yet
we move along with the rules of the system and abide by the controls imposed upon us by the
State and the Civilization.
Notion of Film and Ideology
When people watch a movie they usually get an idea of positive and negative behavior as
depicted in the movie. Usually the notions presented in a movie are based on the director’s
concept of right and wrong. The ideological perspective presented in a movie usually shows
certain individuals, institutions and cultures as privileged. Movies are marketed such that its
viewers usually respond in line with the expectations generated by their material. So usually the
movies include a pre-disposition which makes this happen. In line with the national character’s
changes, the genre of film also changes (Film and Ideology). In 1960s, for instance, Americans
were more ready to accept fatal and antihero cowboy stories. These heroes are supposedly quite
noble but could not survive the modern world. Hence the cowboy in the movie The Cowboy
Hero underwent failure to adjust to the changing times. These kind of heroic figures were not
acceptable from 1920s upto 1950s. There could be several categories of ideology. First is the

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neutral category. This involves escapist movies with light entertainment element. The stress is on
action, pleasure and values of entertainment for the sake of it. The concept of right and wrong
are treated superficially. In these movies fun and entertainment are the basis of consumerism. For
instance, the movie Honey I shrunk the Kids is of this ideology. Second category of ideology is
Implicit. In this category the protagonist and the antagonist show conflicting values although
these are not stressed upon much. The director tries to orient the message towards his desired
direction. Yet consent could be transparent as the viewers accept the system or world views in a
normal manner. Here many ideologies are played up without question or irrespective of
audiences being able to understanding the entire picture. The movie therefore addresses the
interests of powerful classes and sends dominant moral and intellectual codes. One example of
this kind is Pretty Woman. Explicit movies are constructed to teach or persuade the audience.
Patriotic movies like Casablanca and Paths of Glory are instances of this category. Most movies
fall in the implicit category. In many cases implicit presentations of ideas and values has raised
its effectiveness attained by mass repetition or incorporated culture which suggests that the mass
media replays the same note in various forms.
Analysis of ideological values in the movie In the Mood for Love
In the paper, the movie In the Mood for Love by the Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai
shows how people struggle with the unfavorable time which is also indefinite in its passage.
Time also relates to the unbending, restrictive roles which people maintain. The movie might
seem explicit until towards the end when the characters are bound to adhere to expected
ideological values of the society. Hence it can be referred under implicit category. The movie is
also about the way the audience can respond to their all time desire for a happy ending or
conclusion despite the friction between time and identity (Nochimson). Wong Kar-wai, the

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director from Shanghai has a unique style of filmmaking. He has been the first Chinese director
to win Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. Use of song is also important in the
movie. Wong prefers songs from across the world and in this movie he was largely influenced by
the Italian director, Michelangelo Antonioni. Similar to his movies, this one depicted problems
between couples. He also uses a song which is used as a lullaby usually and this is played in the
restaurant scene. The song is likely to bring back some happy childhood memories for the
audience. The idea here was to generate a happy note where the mindset is freed from
conventional bindings and the protagonists fall in love despite their social roles.
Ontological issues are presented skillfully in this film which also uncovers the beauty and
value of a secret which does not belong to anyone in particular. In the movie the two central
characters are the married individuals living in the 60s in Hong Kong. They develop eventually a
complicated relationship. While Mrs. Chan is a working wife and subject to regular household
chores as well, Chow is a working husband. In fact he is an imaginative journalist. Ironically
their spouses are having extra marital relationships with one another and these two characters are
subjected to insular lives. Both of them understand what their roles imply and they even engage
in moments of light physical contacts like touching of fingers and hence develop an intricate
relationship via these brief moments. The realistic part of their relationship is depicted through
the beginning of a love affair. Social consequences of their relationship are undermined by
depicting their relationships through nightly meetings, claustrophobic mise-en-scene and changes
in the wardrobe to show their inability to struggle with time. Finally the liberation of their
mindset and soul is depicted when the couple realizes they both are in need for love. Therefore
Mrs. Chan and Chow would desire to escape their roles and redefine their selves. Initially the
impression generated might seem to be explicit in nature or some kind of unique values being

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embedded in the perception of the audience. The audience was carried away to anticipate more
romance which was against conventional values in the context of the movie.
However the protagonists’ want to escape is limited by the psychological constraints of
the couple’s social roles which demand them to be dutiful wife and husband. The secret becomes
weighty unless Chow finds relief by uttering it into a ruined wall. The director methodically
depicts the scenes such that the viewers can psychologically live the tragic isolation of the
protagonists. The viewer is also involved in the performance of their love affair. The spectator
stares at the intimate shots of the two lovers and enjoys the possibility of new romance. But the
romance does not attain fulfillment. They find each other and almost enter a new life where they
nearly kiss, lead a new life in Singapore and even reveal their frustrations. Hence the viewers are
disappointed at the end. They also have to hold on to the secret and symbolic demonstration of
their nearly love affair. Nobody hears any secret and it seems submerged by the expressive sound
track and images of the monastery. The director wants to impart the conventional note in the end
of the movie by demonstrating the end of the secret. Just like the characters the viewers are also
subject to the limits of time and their roles. Chow could not control the temporal practicality
around him. So when he whispers the secret in the wall he is actually showing his understanding
of time. He moves fast onto the present and the future time periods. Time did allow the
characters to be together in terms of spending some moments and developing feelings for one
another. Again time has also parted them and cutting them both from one another. Chow decides
that the reality of the secret including Mrs. Chan’s and his feelings for her along with their
intimate bonding satisfy him. This secret did not belong to anyone and hence seemed beautiful.
Kar-wai shows the central and philosophical neuroses of people to constantly find themselves
attached to someone or a kind of ideology. Here the viewer would end up believing that he

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understood the truth of the characters and their paths of life. Hence the viewer would also
understand the meaning of the secret and feel that the end of the movie is unsatisfactory. This is
despite the fact that the director did nowhere suggest that the protagonists could happily end up
in a sexual or romantic relationship (Chow, 66-68). Yet the expectation of viewers would grow
as the movie progresses. The tragedy however lies in the fact that the lovers do not end up
together. Another question left at the end is Mrs. Chan’s son and who the father could be. Mrs.
Chan had denied leaving her husband despite Chow showing his love for her. Yet she visited
Singapore once to express her feelings but could not say anything on the phone. All these reveal
the social bindings and the ideologies of the then society and defined social roles in fact.
The movie is made during a time when the typical Chinese melodrama movies were
being replaced with martial arts movies. In the Mood for Love was largely different from these
common ones. Although the title suggests it might be one of those Chinese Wenyi pian movies,
audience who would go with such expectations are likely to be disappointed at the end. The lack
of clear visual images of the couples engaged in romance, is perhaps a technique purposefully
used by the director such that a sense of mystery is evolved and the ideologies are not entirely
violated. In fact the faces of Mr. Chan and Mrs. Chow are never shown. This seems to indicate
their unacceptability and shameful existence as per social norms. Several scenes are shot at low
angles, sometimes the legs or through glass. The shots through glass windows or the doors give a
surreal effect to the movie. This is because the glass imparts a blurry touch. Apart from camera
techniques, the importance of time is also evident in the movie. The scenes are shot at different
points of time. Say, after many years Chow comes back to Hong Kong and visits the old
apartment. The director uses a lot of slow camera movements in order to indicate the characters’
loneliness. Similarly the close ups of the clocks are used to emphasize their closeness. The

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societal norms were quite conventional and Mrs. Chan and Chow were confined to the usual
social roles. The only aspect which made their existence different is the illicit lifestyle of their
spouses. So in reality the movie also highlights what the consequences might be if social norms
are hampered and ideologies are not maintained. The protagonists yearn for romance while their
lives are disillusioned.
Conclusions – implication for Chinese cultural values/ideologies
The Chinese culture is feminine is nature and hence is contemplated as a weak one. This
is quite well reflected in the melodrama movies which were made upto mid twentieth century.
Here the male protagonists turn out to be the weaker character and the female counterparts are
weak due to their lack of power to violate any convention or stand up for their rights and
happiness. Yet the inner strength of the female character usually shows through the movie
because it is the female power which should hold on to the esteem of ideology. But the nature of
movies is different from Western cinema where the culture is very masculine and strong. Usually
those movies illustrate strong male vibes with secondary female character who could be weaker
than the man (Badley, Barton and Schneider). What goes unseen in Asian melodramas is usually
the stronger element than what the audience can see. For instance in this movie itself the way the
protagonists abide by the social and cultural ideologies despite their fuming passion and the
disillusionment of their marriage life is perhaps put forward as a point of strength. Despite their
feelings they do not break social customs to embrace selfish desires. Here lies the difference of
their characters with their counterparts in the movie whose facial identities are never revealed.
Women in 1960s in China were not expected to leave their husband’s side and Mrs. Chan
strongly resists Chow’s charming presence despite her inner struggles. Going by ideological

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categories, the movie falls in the Implicit group of movies, because it returns the audience to the
strong ideological values and expected behavior in the society. Although initially the audiences
might be churned by an expectation to witness an illicit but happy romance justified by their
spouses’ disloyalty, they end up witnessing the star protagonists’ strong stand point in favor of
ideologies.

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References
Badley, Linda, R. Barton, Palmer, and Steven Jay Schneider. “Chapter 14 – Chinese
Melodramas.” Traditions in World Cinema. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 2006. 208-
09. Print.
Chow, Rey. Sentimental Fabulations, Contemporary Chinese Films: Attachment in the Age of
Global Visibility. Columbia University Press, 2007, Print.
Film and Ideology, n.d. Web. < https://public.wsu.edu/~hughesc/film_and_ideology.htm>
Grant, Barry Keith. Film Genre. Wallflower Press, 2007, Print.
Kar-wai, Wong. “In the mood for love”, USA Films, 2000
Nochimson, Martha. A Companion to Wong Kar-wai, John Wiley & Sons, 2015. Print.