Favorite Characters: Mr. Chow (In the Mood for Love)

First up, here’s the A Little TLC(w) addendum for Inthe Mood for Love:  “Recommend?  In General and Tony Leung Chiu-wai – Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”  Nothing but boundless love for that film.    Second, even though this is technically the same Chow Mo-wan character from 2046, I’m going to use “Mr. Chow” because the characterization is so different between the two films that I’m sure I’ll do a separate write-up the next time I rewatch 2046.  (Mr. Chow-related spoilers.)

It’s interesting, because I used to think “still and soulful” was just kind of Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s thing.  In most of the first films I saw him in, his character fit that description.  I used both those words not too long ago in talking about the Blind Swordsman in Ashesof Time, and it could similarly apply to his roles in Hero, Red Cliff, Chungking Express, and other movies I’ve seen him in over the years.  Now that I’m exploring his filmography more deliberately, I can see that that’s only one of the tools in his arsenal, and he’s definitely played his share of characters that are nothing like Mr. Chow.  But even though I’ve started to see more of his range, this is still the sort of role I most closely associate with him, and they always resonate so strongly for me.

On paper, there’s not much to Mr. Chow at first.  He’s pretty much the definition of “mild-mannered,” a dutiful employee and loving if overworked husband, a man who doesn’t quite initially realize he’s leading a life of quiet desperation.  It’s Mrs. Chan who points out to him that all his interests and hobbies are things he “used to” do or enjoy; somewhere along the way, after his marriage, the things he liked just sort of drifted away from him and he was too caught up by the current to notice.  He’s fastidiously polite, he plays the pragmatist to his irresponsible friend, and he makes quiet excuses when people make comments that run the risk of alluding to his wife’s fidelity.

It’s not until after his wife runs off with Mrs. Chan’s husband that he starts to make more than idle considerations about what he wants.  He’s the one who invites Mrs. Chan out to delicately broach his suspicions about their spouses’ affair, which is maybe his first foray into this:  acknowledging his desire to know, and not to be alone in that knowledge.  Here, he and Mrs. Chan are both tentative and, again, so, so polite.  It takes ages for either of them to come to the point, but once they do, I think it opens something up for Mr. Chow.  While Mrs. Chan has been gently doing her own thing in the absence of her husband – finding quiet ways to occupy her time and the space society tells her he’s supposed to be filling – Mr. Chow hasn’t been doing much of anything, and with that conversation, things begin to change. 

Whether it’s deeply personal (roleplaying with Mrs. Chan as they try to figure out how the affair began,) of less consequence (deciding to finally try his hand at writing a martial arts serial,) or implied to be improper (befriending Mrs. Chan even though they’re both still married and people will talk, don’t you know?), Mr. Chow dips his toes further and further into the idea of living for himself.  Though he starts out gingerly, it doesn’t take him long to get swept up in it, to the point that he rents a separate room in a different building for he and Mrs. Chan to write in when they both start to worry about what the neighbors will think of their friendship.  When it gets to these extremes, Mrs. Chan is ready to cut their losses and stop writing together, (not because she’s indifferent, not at all – it’s just how she reacts to things,) but Mr. Chow digs in.  After goodness knows how long, he’s found something that makes him happy, and he’s not about to let it go so easily.

He’s kind of a deceptively-intriguing character, and Leung brings him to life gorgeously.  What a great portrayal of a man slowly dawning on the realization that he’s been sleeping through his life, discovering what is to be awake, growing protective of the new sensations it’s brought him, and ultimately following it to the end of a path that he pretty much knows will lead to heartbreak, possibly wondering if he wouldn’t have been better off staying asleep and yet not willing to close his eyes again.  Just beautiful work, extremely subtle but wonderfully effective.  Leung, along with Maggie Cheung, delivers a master class in acting in this movie, and these performances are a major part of the reason why I’ve seen it probably half a dozen times but can still rewatch it with absolutely rapt attention.