HAPPY TOGETHER

HAPPY TOGETHER

” I finally arrived at the end of the world” 

I can think of a number of films where loss is overwhelming, such as Bergman’s “Virgin Spring” or Konchalovskiy’s “Maria’s Lovers”, but this feeling of loss coupled with an utter sense of alienation, an almost complete disconnection with the mundane comings and goings of the world, is something that Wong-Kar-Wai pinpoints extremely well in his films and particularly in this one.
A chinese couple travels to Argentina in the hope of mending their aching relationship, only to witness the sheer destruction of what connected them in the first place. Living in a decrepit pension in a Buenos Aires suburb, Lai Yiu-fai (Portrayed by Tony Leung) struggles to survive with odd jobs, while Ho Po-wing (Portrayed by Leslie Cheung) is the eternal decadent “flanêur” who has given up all hope. Self-destructive Ho Po-Wing is the incarnation of chaos, debauchery and decadence that some people of extreme sensitivity fall prey to, in a world that moves too fast.

If you never cried your heart out and if you have problems with homossexuality (Which in fact is completely beyond the point in this film) you may see this film as a tough ride. If you can also get beyond the fact that Wong-Kar-Wai’s films generally appeal to people in their 20’s, you may be able to see that in spite of this, there is magic when you have actors such as Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung ,cinematography by Christopher Doyle, the setting of Iguazu falls, the startling Astor Piazzolla piece “Tango appassionato”, and all of this directed by Wong-Kar-Wai.

Happy Together, although not a masterpiece, leaves a lingering imprint in my mind of something i personally have felt for many years, the complete sense of disconnection and alienation with everything. In this film, akin, in some ways, to a road movie, both men are searching (in very different ways) to make sense of life in a world that is predominantly indifferent. The setting takes place most of the time in a nightly, sometimes ghostly version of Buenos Aires suburbs, where one is permanently impeded from anchoring. One could say that all characters in this film seem to be enshrouded in a mist from which they cannot escape. Yet in this seemingly purgatory-like atmosphere, there are persistant tingling impressions of beauty and sadness that punctuate the narrative, such as the Iguazu lamp or the amazing Tango scene that takes place in the most sordid kitchen i have ever seen. 

Even in such bleak surroundings Wong-Kar-Wai pushes forth tiny glimmers of passion, sometimes in slow-motion, a technique he often used to remind us that present experiences sometimes carry the scent of memories even as they happen.

Happy Together is a descent into an utter state of disarray and sadness.
One scene in particular stands out and reminds me of a scene in the Deer Hunter

The scene when Nick is unable to answer simple questions, such is the shock of his experience. In Happy Together, towards the end of the film, there is a similar moment of tremendous beauty, when Tony Leung is completely unable to express himself.

RELEASED: 1997

Director: Kar-Wai Wong

Running Time: 96 mn

Cast: Leslie Cheung; Tony Chiu-Wai Leung; Chang Chen

Rating: 3.5 starsR