Product Description

Lai and Ho arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong as lovers, but Ho leaves for Buenos Aires to become a good-time boy. Lai attempts to regain his emotional state but finds that he is consumed with the dream of being "happy together" once again with Ho. Wong Kar-Wai, winner for Best Director at Cannes, and cinematographer Christopher Doyle marry the rythmns of Buenos Aires and Frank Zappa's jazz to an astonishing array of images. A tribute to blind passion and creative intimacy, Happy Together is a warning that staying in love is tough

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48014 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-11-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Black & White, Colour, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Synopsis
HAPPY TOGETHER was re-written and re-conceived over and over again as they filmed on location in Argentina. It strained patience and health of Kar-Wai's loyal cast and crew, they even ran out of good film stock. But despite, or perhaps because of this long and difficult shoot, Kar-Wai and cinematographer Christopher Doyle have produced a brilliant, intensely passionate, sexy and stylish cinematic gem. Kar-Wai won Best Director award for it at Cannes in 1997.
Ho (Leung) and his promiscuous lover Lai (Cheung) have run as far from Hong Kong as they can and now, short of cash, are stranded in cold Buenos Aires. They have a souvenir table lamp illustrating Iguazu Falls that they hoped to visit but can't afford to. They both want to go home now, Lai sleeps around perhaps to help him cope with the situation while Ho, more constructively takes unsavoury work as a doorman, cook and abattoir worker, kicking a football around with fellow workers to let off steam. The tensions and jealousies between them come to a head where Ho throws Lai out of the claustrophobic bedsit, only for him to come back pathetically with hands bandaged after some self-mutilation. Taking him in again they continue to play emotional games, but Ho resists the playful charms of Lai, knowing the relationship is over. He eventually reaches the Falls by himself but will he make it home unscathed

Customer Reviews

Happy together-Unhappy together?
Won kar wai's films seem to become more pessimistic and heartfelt the longer he goes on. Fortunately for us viewers this means that they also become more beautiful and heartbreakingly moving than ever. The film deals with the destructive relationship between two gay lovers (Tony Leung and Leslie Chung) as they try to keep alive their ailing love for each other by travelling to Beunos Aires to "start again", but only leads to their gradual but inevitable parting. With excellent performances from the two leads and stunning photography from Christopher Doyle, this is a must see for all Won Kar Wai fans, and in fact, for anyone with an appreciation of world cinema. Higly recommended!

An honest depiction of two gay, Cantonese men
I heard about this film from somewhere which I cannot remember for the life of me, but I think I saw the trailer and then was immediately drawn into the film.

The cinematography creates an atmosphere of what the director thought Argentina was like. It is not wonderfully glossed-over with sparkling shots of the two men, quite the opposite - it shows them at their worst when they are with each other but it is through this, that I think, the two men come out at their best because this is the side of people we never see, and the fact it's coming out to both of them shows they have reached a very real level of intimacy.

The main character 'fei' or 'yieu fei' is probably the more dominant character although he does end up indulging the other character 'wing' or 'bo wing' - who keeps leaving him and reappearing again throughout the film. From boredom to despair, to displeasure to illness (or injury) 'bo wing' always comes to 'yieu fei' and 'yieu fei' always takes him back. No matter how hard he knows it'll be when 'bo wing' will eventually leave, or how hard he has to work to keep him happy - he does it anyway. It is not in this that I think the greatest part of the film lies.

Their dialogue which ultimately define the dynamics of their relationship is where I think the core of the magic of the film happens. In my opinion, being born from a half-Cantonese/Szechuanese background in Scotland I understand genuine Cantonese dialogue, culture and behaviour. This film provided just that, only between two gay men. I would not say that the dynamics were such as that between a man and a woman, but there is definitely a sense of one having power over the other. Although ironically, Bo Wing seems to have the most power has he's the one who seems to have the right to leave and come back whenever he wants. The dialogue is extremely, even overly, flip by British standards and everything they say to each other is extremely heavy-handed. They never say anything directly but prefer to show their feelings through what they're not saying and actions highlighted by the film. e.g. Bo Wing staring at Yieu Fei when he's sleeping.

I am not saying that Cantonese people have a problem showing their feelings, but that this is the genuine way in which they share intimacy; in showing each other their best and worst parts without any social discipline to follow. It's hard to describe but even if you don't understand Cantonese you'll follow what I'm saying once you see the film.

Although the bulk of the film was amazing in my opinion, with the complementary music at the background which seems to match the unhappy background exactly - either ironically or exactly, and also the great cinematography from the quotidian scenes of everyday life in Argentina to quotidian scenes of 'Yieu Fei' and 'Bo Wing' - I wasn't that happy with the ending.
It felt a little contrived as almost all arthouse movies end unhappily and this just felt like it was following the norm. However it did make sense as 'Yieu Fei' always talks about going back, and the audience does understand why from the treatment he receives. Maybe I just wished for a happy ending as they seemed to share real intimacy you just don't find in most places these days.

Poignant till the last...
I have been a fan of Wong Kar-Wai movies for a while and I am also a fan of the two actors who play the main characters. It is easy to dismiss this as a Chinese attempt to make a gay movie, but it is not as simple as that and with Wong Kar-Wai, it is never a simple story. The story is not about glamour and the characters are two regular guys from HK. What is special about this movie, isn't the director's choice to make a gay movie, but a movie where two people struggle to get what they want in a relationship. One is openly promiscuous the other is a stable kind of guy. The former is selfish and only wants the latter when he has run out of other choices. The latter struggles to find comfort in that relationship and in the end he finds happiness leaving the relationship altogether.

The movie is quite realistic and deals with the issues within relationships. Choices are hard, but you have to make them. Love is an ideal, but what will you do and sacrifice to remain in love and at what cost? There are a lot of unhappy relationships out there. Sometimes it is a matter if circumstances, but at the end of the day, you have to help yourself. These problems don't just exist in gay relationships, but also those of straight people.