So this is one of the newest movies on this whole list, one of only two from this century. Which means that watching it is a very different thing than watching these older movies — I don’t need to look at this one from a historical lens, to see what it pioneered or influenced or whatever, I can watch it just as a straight-up movie.

And as a movie, it’s very good. It tells the story of two next-door neighbors in 1960s Hong Kong who discover that their spouses are having an affair, and who then develop a complicated relationship of their own. The characters are subtle and complex, the cinematography and music are both lush and gorgeous, the setting is evocative, and the story doesn’t go quite where you’d expect it to. It’s enjoyable, affecting, and well-made.

But… I don’t understand why it’s on this list. Because, yes, it’s very good, but is it literally one of the two best movies made between 2000-2012? I’d have a very hard time making that argument. Like, the AV Club has a list of the top movies of the ’00s, and this is on there at #31. I don’t agree with the AVC’s list fully, but there are a lot of really excellent movies on there, and I’d definitely agree that a good solid bunch of them are better (and probably more significant and influential) than this. And yet, this one makes it into the top quarter of the list, and the rest of them don’t make it at all. It’s weird.

Still: Good movie, and definitely worth seeing, and if this list puts it weirdly high, I think the AVC list puts it much too low — it probably belongs in the top ten for that decade, at least. Also, I feel like spending 90% of this write-up talking about ranking positions is doing a disservice to this movie, which could stand up to a lot of discussion about its characters and their choices; but a) I hate spoilers so much, and b) the context really almost does demand it.