Cinematographer Mark Lee is a master of light, color, camera movement, beautiful but highly composed frames, and, as a result of all this, mood. He has worked with many of the top East Asian directors such as Wong Kar Wai (In the Mood for Love), Hou Hsiao-Hsien (Flowers of Shanghai), Tran Anh Hung (Vertical Ray of the Sun), and Tian Zhuangzhuang (Springtime in a Small Town).
Lee, with his camera, does nostalgia brilliantly. Whether it is the French colonial aesthetic of old Hanoi, the aesthetic traditions of old China, or Hong Kong before the rise of steel and glass skyscrapers. Typically, his films are intense psychological dramas. The beauty of his lighting and framing choices both reinforce the tension and relieve it. He often uses only available light or "natural" sources such as candles or lanterns. Many of his films are about women in society, and the rules that confine them. Sets are often tight spaces, a metaphor for the psychology of confinement. The camera movement often quietly focuses on people who are listening to others. The audience is reading their faces and gestures, which may be at odds with the conversation.
A recent retrospective of Mike Lee’s work at MOMA provided the opportunity to see some of Lee's lesser known films. They were all gorgeous but my favorite was Springtime in a Small Town, 2002. The set is a few rooms in a traditional Chinese house shortly after the second world war. The town and parts of the house have been damaged by Japanese bombers, a metaphor for the state of the couple who live there. Flowers of Shanghai 1988 is set in high class brothel. Here again the psychological drama takes place in a few opulent rooms. Set lighting is Carravagio-style with golden light and black shadowy backgrounds. The up-close shots and stealthy camera movement reinforce the oppressive environment. Vertical Ray of the Sun, 2002, in good Chekhovian style, portrays the daily life of three sisters and the passions simmering underneath. Scenes are highly composed in a few rooms, delicately feminine, and with gorgeous colors.