In the Mood for Love (2001) — directed by Wong Kar-wai; cinematography by Christopher Doyle; starring Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung.
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The short film In the Mood for Love 2001 is a rare and elusive 32-minute coda directed by Wong Kar-wai. Originally conceived as the "dessert" for a triptych project titled Three Stories About Food
, it follows the 2000 feature film and provides a modern-day contrast to the 1962 setting of the original. Plot & Themes
Set in 2001 Hong Kong, the short stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung as different characters—or perhaps reincarnations of Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan. The Setting
: Tony Leung plays a convenience store owner, and Maggie Cheung is a frequent customer. The Conflict
: The customer leaves her keys with the owner for a lover who never arrives. The Climax
: After both characters suffer minor injuries—he while chasing a thief and she from a fight with her lover's mistress—they share an intimate moment in the store where he kisses her under the guise of "cleaning" cake from her face.
: It focuses on the "sensation of tasting" and the "erotic properties of desserts," acting as a lighter, sweeter counterpoint to the unconsummated longing of the main film. Relationship to Other Works My Blueberry Nights
: This short served as the primary inspiration for Wong Kar-wai's 2007 English-language debut, which also features a romance centered around a cafe and leftover desserts. : Some elements of the intended coda for In the Mood for Love were eventually reworked into the 2004 sequel, Where to Watch The short remains rare but has seen limited releases:
: It was recently screened in theaters alongside the 4K restoration of the main film for its 25th anniversary. Criterion Collection : It is included as a special feature on the In the Mood for Love
25th Anniversary Special Edition Blu-ray/4K UHD, available through the Criterion Collection
: While the short itself is not widely available on streaming, the original In the Mood for Love (2000) can be watched on: Subscription Free (with ads) ($3.99) or Google Play or his other short films like
The elusive short film titled "In the Mood for Love 2001" is a rare piece of Wong Kar-wai’s filmography that served as a "coda" or "dessert" to his 2000 masterpiece, In the Mood for Love. For nearly 25 years, it existed primarily as a cinematic legend, seen only by a handful of attendees at a Cannes Film Festival masterclass in 2001 before receiving a wide theatrical re-release in 2025. Origins: The "Three Stories About Food" Concept in the mood for love 2001 short film
The short was originally conceived as the final segment of a planned triptych anthology titled "Three Stories About Food," inspired by the writings of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
Segment One: A never-shot story about a kidnapper and their victim.
Segment Two: The 1960s-set story of two neighbors whose spouses are having an affair. This segment famously outgrew its short-form constraints to become the feature film In the Mood for Love.
Segment Three: A modern-day "dessert" segment exploring the erotic properties of food, which eventually became the standalone short In the Mood for Love 2001. Plot and Setting
Unlike the rain-soaked, claustrophobic 1960s Hong Kong of the main feature, the 2001 short is set in a modern, neon-lit convenience store.
Characters: Tony Leung plays the store owner, and Maggie Cheung portrays a regular customer.
The Narrative: The customer is in love with a man and leaves her keys with the owner for her lover to collect—a gesture the lover never reciprocates.
The Climax: Following a confrontation with her lover's mistress, the customer returns to the store distressed and gorging on cake. After she falls asleep, the store owner kisses her, ostensibly to "clean traces of cake" from her face, only to find she is awake and reciprocates the embrace. Connection to My Blueberry Nights
The short film is widely regarded as the prototype for Wong Kar-wai’s first English-language feature, My Blueberry Nights (2007).
Key Motifs: Many iconic elements from the short were directly adapted for the feature, including the central premise of leaving keys at a food establishment and the famous "cake-stain" kiss between Norah Jones and Jude Law.
Visual Style: Reviewers note that while the main In the Mood for Love film is "velvety and warm," the 2001 short carries a colder, "poppier" aesthetic more reminiscent of Chungking Express. In the Mood for Love 2001 - IMDb
Review: "In the Mood for Love" (2001) Short Film
Director: Wong Kar-wai
Duration: 15 minutes
Starring: Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung
Rating: 4.5/5
This 15-minute short film, directed by Wong Kar-wai, is a poignant and visually stunning precursor to his 2000 feature film of the same name. "In the Mood for Love" (2001) short film is a condensed exploration of the complex emotions and forbidden love that blossom between two married individuals, Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) and King Chow (Tony Leung).
The film's narrative takes place in 1960s Hong Kong, where social norms and expectations dictate the behavior of married couples. Through subtle glances, tender touches, and restrained dialogue, Wong Kar-wai masterfully conveys the intense emotions that develop between Su and King as they struggle to maintain a platonic friendship.
The short film's greatest strength lies in its ability to evoke a sense of longing and melancholy, perfectly capturing the bittersweet essence of a love that dare not speak its name. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung deliver captivating performances, conveying a depth of emotion through their facial expressions and body language.
Visually, the film is a treat, with Wong Kar-wai's signature use of vibrant colors and meticulous production design transporting the viewer to a bygone era. The cinematography is breathtaking, with each frame meticulously composed to evoke a sense of nostalgia and romance.
While the short film provides a satisfying standalone experience, it also serves as a fascinating insight into the creative process behind Wong Kar-wai's feature film. Fans of the 2000 movie will appreciate the opportunity to see the embryonic stages of the story and characters, while newcomers will find themselves drawn into the world of 1960s Hong Kong and the haunting beauty of Wong Kar-wai's filmmaking.
Verdict: A beautiful, poignant, and expertly crafted short film that showcases Wong Kar-wai's mastery of storytelling and visual style. A must-watch for fans of romantic cinema and those interested in the evolution of a film from concept to completion.
Recommendation: If you're a fan of Wong Kar-wai's work or enjoy romantic dramas set in nostalgic settings, then "In the Mood for Love" (2001) short film is an essential watch. Pair it with the feature film (2000) for a complete exploration of this poignant love story.
There are two distinct short films often associated with In the Mood for Love (2000) and the year 2001: an elusive companion piece titled In the Mood for Love 2001 and a separate montage film titled Hua yang de nian hua . In the Mood for Love 2001 " (The "Dessert" Short)
This is an elusive, approximately 9-minute short film directed by Wong Kar-wai.
Origin: It was originally conceived as the third segment of a triptych film titled Three Stories About Food. While the second segment became the feature-length In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai had already completed this third segment and decided to release it as a separate coda. In the Mood for Love (2001) — directed
Plot: Set 10 years after the events of the main film, it depicts a modern-day encounter in a convenience store (a 7-Eleven). The owner, played by Tony Leung, and a customer, played by Maggie Cheung, bond over chance encounters and desserts.
Significance: Wong describes the short as the "dessert" to the main feature's "meal". It is often viewed as a lighter, alternative reincarnation of the characters Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen.
Availability: Until recently, it was only screened during Wong's masterclass at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. It was more recently included in the 25th Anniversary Special Edition release from The Criterion Collection and featured in select theatrical screenings. Hua yang de nian hua
Often confused with the above due to its title (the Chinese title for In the Mood for Love ), this is a separate experimental montage.
Content: A roughly 2-minute "amuse-bouche" created from rediscovered footage of old Chinese films found in a warehouse.
Soundtrack: Set to the song "Age of Bloom" (Hua yang de nian hua) by Zhou Xuan, which inspired the feature film's Chinese title.
Theme: It evokes nostalgia and a "happy period that has gone by," acting as a tribute to the early era of Chinese cinema. Streaming the Feature Film If you are looking to watch the feature-length In the Mood for Love (2000) , it is available on several platforms: Google Watch Action Data
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Critics often debate why the In the Mood for Love 2001 short film looks "cheap" compared to the original. This was a deliberate choice. Wong Kar-wai has stated in interviews (archived in the Criterion Collection’s supplemental materials) that he wanted the short to represent the "fading of memory." The digital video captures the low-resolution reality of nostalgia—the way a specific face becomes blurry when you try too hard to recall it.
Notice the costumes. In the original, Mrs. Chan’s cheongsams are vibrant, floral, and sexual. In the 2001 short film, she wears a plain, black, high-necked dress. Mr. Chow’s pinstripe suit is replaced by a wrinkled t-shirt. The erotic tension of the original is replaced by the quiet exhaustion of people who have waited too long.
Set in cramped 1960s Hong Kong apartment blocks, In the Mood for Love centers on Chow Mo-wan, an introverted writer, and Su Li-zhen, a reserved secretary. Each moves into the same building with their respective spouses. When they separately suspect their partners of carrying on an affair with one another, they find solace in one another’s company. Rather than retaliate, they rehearse the conversations they imagine their spouses have, sharing cigarettes, noodle dinners, and late-night walks through neon-lit streets. Their relationship develops into a charged yet chaste intimacy governed by manners and self-restraint; they never consummate their attraction. The film is a study in atmosphere and unspoken emotion—Wong’s meticulous framing, Christopher Doyle’s saturated cinematography, and a haunting score emphasize memory and longing. Small gestures—a shared bowl of soup, a repeated corridor—become profound. As both characters choose decorum over confrontation, the story culminates in an elegiac acceptance of loss and the persistent echo of what might have been.
The In the Mood for Love 2001 short film picks up at an ambiguous point. Mr. Chow (Tony Leung) is now a successful writer living in a sterile, modern apartment. The traditional Chinese music has been replaced by the hum of a refrigerator and distant traffic. Originally conceived as the "dessert" for a triptych
One night, he receives a call. It is Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung), but her voice is distorted by time. She asks to meet him at a hotel—the same hotel from the original film where they rehearsed their spouses’ affair. When Chow arrives, the setting has changed. The walls are now a muted grey. The red curtains are gone. In perhaps the most iconic sequence of the 2001 short film, they sit in silence. There are no rehearsals. No "let’s pretend."
Instead, the director employs a radical narrative device: the removal of dialogue. For nearly six minutes, the two lovers simply stare at a malfunctioning wall clock. The second hand ticks backwards. Wong Kar-wai suggests that in 2001, time has literally reversed for them. They are no longer hiding from their spouses; they are hiding from the future they missed.