Hong Kong, 1962. Mr. and Mrs. Chow move into their new apartment on the same day as their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Chan. Without understanding how it started, Chow Mo-wan and Chan Li-zhen learn that their respective spouses are having an affair. This discovery shocks them but brings them together. They see each other more and more often but the neighborhood is starting to notice it. There seems to be no possibility for them to have a romantic relationship. But Ms. Chan’s restraint, emotional reserves haunt Mr. Chow, who feels his feelings change.

The story, after all banal of the disappointments of the love that are of Mr. Chow and Ms. Chan has this universal that it can happen to anyone. The genius of Wong Kar Wai is to have transcended the genre of dramatic comedies to make a visual object with perfect aesthetics and treatment with finesse and restraint. The dialogues are rare and at the limit superfluous as we penetrate naturally into the hearts and the thoughts of the two characters. This couple will be a milestone in the history of cinema like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Baccal, no more and no less. Rarely has an actress been so beautifully filmed. How not to instantly fall in love with the sublime Maggy Cheung molded in her qipao with delicious vintage patterns (you will notice that M Chow also often changes her tie). Tony Leung gives us a very delicate performance and we intimately share his anxieties and his desire which will lead him to exile. The photo is also sublime and the soundtrack unforgettable. It is a masterpiece and for once the word is not overused. thank you to Asia for giving us what Europe and Hollywood can no longer offer us, simple and authentic emotion.