Ironic
title alert: far from being a cozy
romance, Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together
is the story of a broken love. Not everyone
has been in a situation as dire as that of the main couple, but I daresay many
can relate to its heartache, frustration, and backsliding. With topnotch acting, gripping central
relationships, and Wong’s trademark gorgeous direction, it makes for a terrific
viewing experience.
Fai and
Po-wing have been an on-off couple for ages.
As Fai, our main lens into the story, explains it, no matter how many
times they break up, he finds himself being pulled back in whenever Po-wing asks
if they can start over. The film opens
on the two men and their relationship imploding during a vacation in
Argentina. While Fai tries to earn
enough money to get home to Hong Kong, Po-wing keeps showing up with demands,
sob stories, and haphazard affections, and Fai struggles not to get caught in
the riptide of his tumultuous ex-boyfriend.
The
dynamic between the leads is really interesting here. Po-wing is electric, volatile, and
self-involved, and he easily steamrolls over steadier, more pragmatic Fai. He’s the one who usually dictates what they
do, the one who makes the demands and gets in trouble, the one who can cajole
Fai into giving in. Fai knows Po-wing is
no good for him, and he’s fallen for all the lies, flattery, and excuses
before, but one languidly sultry look from Po-wing is enough to weaken Fai’s
defenses. And despite everything, he
still cares deeply for Po-wing. As they
reenter one another’s spheres, Fai vacillates between giving his ex a pointedly
cold shoulder and making desperate attempts to keep Po-wing from leaving again. Wong’s direction is fairly unobtrusive, stepping
back and largely just letting you watch what’s happening between Fai and
Po-wing. It’s perhaps less evocative
than his typical style, but it’s very appropriate for this tight, insular tale.
One
thing I like about this movie is that it’s not really a “gay story” – I mean, it’s
obviously about two gay men in a relationship, but their orientation isn’t much
of a factor in the narrative. This film
could’ve been written about a man and a woman with very few alterations (Fai
and Po-wing’s arguments can get pretty physical, and there’s a hint of
closetedness in Fai’s interactions with Chang later in the film,) and that’s
cool. While I’m not against movies about
coming out, fighting discrimination, HIV, or discovering one’s sexuality, it’s
also important to have movies that tell more universal stories about people who
are queer.
The
late Leslie Cheung, who I’ve seen in a few Wong films, gives an exciting, kinetic
performance as Po-wing: even though he’s
clearly awful, you can see why Fai keeps getting sucked in. As Fai, Tong Leung Chiu-wai is a grounding
presence in the film. He’s excellent as
a man whose head and heart are giving him conflicting accounts of what he
wants. And I really love Chang Chen (of The Grandmaster and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as a kind, openhearted friend Fai
makes in Argentina; the tape recorder scene between Chang and Fai is flawless,
one of my favorites in the film.
Warnings
Sexual
content (including sex scenes,) language, drinking, smoking, and violence.
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