‘Cuts through Hong Kong’ by Eunice Seng is an article on the Hong Kong romance ‘In the Mood for Love’ directed by Wong Kar-Wai. The article focuses on the film’s use of architecture and domestic spaces as a set, as well as how Wong Kar-Wai utilises the city of Hong Kong as a storytelling device.
I was most interested in how the reading discussed the use of repetition and mirroring in the film. The protagonists were often shot in identical spaces, such as seemingly exiting the same doors or looking over the same balcony. The repetition of space was used to narrate the relationship of the two characters, with the development of their narratives being intertwined with the spaces they occupied. On the other hand, I believe that the mirroring of spaces in the film could also be seen as a symbol of familiarity. Watching the story unfold within the same hallways, apartments, and staircases highlights the duality of the static environments and the protagonists’ ever-changing lives. This allows the audience to relate to the protagonists, and reflect on the changes we face while repeating a daily routine.
Furthermore, the reading also tackles the impermanence of cities, describing them as constantly being in a state of transition. Wong Kar-Wai captured p laces in transition in his films, as he ‘knew it would be gone soon’. Ultimately, film as a medium allows us to archive and document a city’s people, places and stories, thus creating a city frozen in time.
— UID: 3036030831 — Chiu Yin Ching —
You have comprehensively summarized the text, and it is interesting to see how you unfold the use of repetition and mirroring through the dynamic character of the space and people. You mention “impermanence” and “transition” but do not clarify the point, such as why and how it is discussed in the reading. Clarify every key point you address rather than just introduce it in writing a response.