Happy Together (1997)

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.