Happy Together (2017)

The first and only instance of actual sex in Happy Together is at the beginning. While many will use black and white to depict a nostalgic longing for a memory, here the harsh physicality of their lovemaking actually becomes so damaging in retrospect. Their bodies are intertwined tightly on the ragged bed - the foolish idea that getting away together might mend their relationship finds them stuck in Argentina, although they have their own ways of earning enough to return to Hong Kong. And then slowly, after a violent row, the colour starts to leak back into the frame, and the inevitability of the vicious cycle beckons them once more. Twice, the overhead shot of Buenos Aires shows the night-life in time lapse; a flurry of light and movement and time passing. But it seems to be almost the same thing over and over. And for Ho and Lai, this rings true; they cannot help be drawn into each other, they cannot help that a dance turns into a kiss turns into something else, they are struck by a curse to repeatedly run back to one another. And then they sabotage, and makeup; Lai turns furious and yells at Ho's suggestion that he cooks for him even though he is sick, and then we suddenly cut to him at the stove (happiest times of his life indeed). Ho vehemently defends himself against accusations of snooping, then we flashback to the act itself. And again, and again. Doyle's cinematography adds so much to the film. Look at Chang's introduction, where the camera sways in time with his movements as he shuts his eyes and daydreams and everything in the background is blurred out in shallow focus. He colour codes strongly so that key objects leap out from the yellow tint that saturates the room they share; a red blanket ripe for lust, the lighthouse lamp with a blue glow, spinning ever so slightly in the background of their relationship, and when it finally ends, Lai is either enveloped in darkness or staring at the walls that don't seem to pop so much. And see how the editing subtly evokes a difference between the characters and Ho and Chang and how they interact with Lai; when he confronts him about the missing passport, we get a quick succession of cuts which accentuate and repeat each harsh, hurtful word and every facet of their lies. The same sort of sequence is used again when Lai and Chang say goodbye; the hug is repeated from three different perspectives, as if to fully bask in the moment of physical embrace, and then it cuts to an overhead shot that sort of just hovers nervously in the lull of the moment...and it's such a remarkable difference between the two confrontations. Chang is everything Ho is not: caring, softly spoken, honest, not abusive. There is an almost perfection to the way that post-breakup Lai handles things. WKW was right; this is not a movie about gay characters, but simply characters that are constantly in mourning and celebration over a never-ending relationship. Something as passionate and lengthy as that does not simply leave you quickly; it sticks with you and every moment after. He begins to wander bathrooms seeking male companionship, until he spots his former lover...and never visits that area again. This rings so true. And there is the repeating motif of the Iguazu waterfalls; sequences comprised completely of footage of the cavernous cliffs and the water endlessly falling into an abyss, that becomes so heartbreakingly dreamlike and out of reach. Are we doomed to have a piece of our past in us for all eternity? For Lai, as he steals that photo of Ho, it seems so.

I saw this film once when it was originally released. And I remember that I found it utterly boring, and of shoddy quality generally.It was recommended to me again, so I watched it again with 15-years-older eyes. It still sucks.We're given almost no back-story on any of the characters. The two guys we start with have a broken relationship, and it pretty much stays that way throughout. I've seen others refer to this as repeated a "abuse, breakup, reconcile" cycle, but I don't see it. They never really do get back together. There's always distance. Further, Ho has been been slut-shamed in comments, but although we do see in the film that he loves Lai intensely regardless of his (Ho's) actions, the story uses him as prop to tell Lai's story, rather than treating him as a human. Speaking of props: Chang.A lot of scenes just seemed to be inserted, or extended with no action, for no particular reason. A good 15 minutes could be cut from this film without losing anything at all. And more people would be awake at the end.I do think a better English title should have been chosen, rather than trying to rationalize some nonsense about reconciling oneself to one's past.

This film is one of my favourite and it is the first Wong Kar Wai film I saw. It left an indelible impression on me by its strong and original cinematography, unbelievably humane characters, persuasive and brave acting and a moody soundtrack. Adding a beautiful Buenos Aires as backdrop, all those add up to a truly outstanding movie and to me it is WKW at his best (on par with "2046"). It is a film which truly touches the mind and soul and goes deep into what a relationship takes.Not much comment on the plot because it is so realistic and resembles a well-captured life documentary of the two gay men venturing abroad. As it is now clear, WKW makes different films simply to manifest his same vision on love again and again: intense but sparse happiness enjoyed by lovers is inevitably accompanied by long term emotional pains and losses, and when the couple separates, the despair and memory haunt them forever. However, 'Happy Together' adds extra dimensions to that familiar theme: firstly, the relationship is homosexual so the day-to-day interaction between the characters is a bit fresher and secondly, the alienation felt by the two guys in Argentina and the desire by Yiu Fai to live a new, and better, life drives the movie forward. The optimism showed at the end of the movie is a rare but welcome breather from his heavier films like "In the Ashes of Time", "In the Mood for Love" and "2046", where the despair is total and insurmountable. Also, as the characters have an end in mind (returning to Hong Kong), the storyline processes slowly but surely so that it adds a bit more fluidity.I am surprised how little credit has been given to Leslie Cheung's role as Po Wing. Tony Leung's performance as Yiu Fai is excellent but comparing to him, Leslie Cheung is simply better. He is the soul of the film and many scenes would lose its impact if it is done by a less charming and charismatic actor (with the scenes of Po Wing hassling Yiu Fai to cook in the middle of the night, the tango dance in the kitchen, and where Po Wing showing his vulnerability after being beaten by his client). Knowing he is homosexual in real life does not take away any of his achievement of playing Po Wing exactly like it should be. His performance here is arguably as well as he did in "Farewell My Concubine".It makes me want to see the Iguaçu Fall.

From Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai,the writer and director of the highly regarded CHUNG KING EXPRESS (CHONGQING SENLIN), comes HAPPY TOGETHER (CHEUN GWONG TSA SIT). HAPPY TOGETHER tells the story of a gay Chinese couple in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who are anything but happy. The story, to the extent there is any, consists of a series of vignettes about their petty fights.In this two person drama Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing plays Ho Po-Wing and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai plays Lai Yiu-Fai. Leslie was last seen in TEMPTRESS MOON (FENG YUE) and Tony in CYCLO (XICH LO). Both are quite capable actors, but the parts they are given in HAPPY TOGETHER almost dares the audience to care. Their lifeless performances are right in line with Wong's dreadfully dull screenplay.Although the movie contains some of the most graphic homosexual scenes I've encountered, the actors present no passion or love during them with the result that the scenes are coldly antiseptic.Most of the movie has them arguing with each other, complaining about the lack of jobs in Argentina and living a life of poverty in their (literally) flea-bag room. Never is the narrative interesting and rarely are the characters the least bit compelling.The picture has a single saving grace. The cinematography by Christopher Doyle punctuates the otherwise uninvolving scenes with fascinating images. Although Doyle's work in HAPPY TOGETHER is not nearly as good as his stunning work in TEMPTRESS MOON, he enlivens an otherwise tedious picture. Using both oversaturated black-and-white sequences and lush color ones, he keeps the audience's attention even when the story doesn't. One evocative scene has our two lonely leads stranded on the highway. Shooting from a distance, the black-and-white highway seems as infinite as Tony and Lai's troubles. Another scene is shot from high above the city streets. Using color at night and a strobe effect, the cars dart around the turns like colored rats in a maze."Turns out that normal people are all the same," concludes Lai. Similarly, the movie HAPPY TOGETHER has a dreary sameness to each of its vignettes, only the handsome cinematography saves it from being an unwatchable, boring film.HAPPY TOGETHER seems to go on forever but its running time is actually only 1:37. The picture is in Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. The film is not rated but would get an R for nudity, profanity, violence and graphic sex. The film is not appropriate for teenagers.