Sadly Over-hyped

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Wong Kar Wai's 'Happy Together' Happy Together is a Hong Kong film released in 1997 and directed by popular Chinese director, Wong Kar Wai. It stars Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung and tells the story of two gay men who have moved to Argentina to escape Hong Kong after it has been handed over to the Chinese. It depicts a turbulent romance between the two characters Ho-po Wing and Lai Yui- Fai. I found the film extremely interesting in the way it represents not only relationships but the relationship between two homosexual men. The film tackles manipulation, neediness and loneliness, all common occurrences in many relationships. It presents Po Wing and Fai as a normal couple, no different than a heterosexual couple. I particularly enjoy how they both have a gender role, with one being more clingy and needy than the other. The film is rather touching and moving in the way it emphasises the damage a relationship can have on an individual involved. The acting was very good and convincing and you did believe the emotion felt. The mise-en- scene is also very interesting in this film, the use of black and white and colour to represent different time frames is very clever and interesting and the general low key lighting of the film makes it feel very gritty. The location in which it is set is not glamorous or desirable and in particular Fai's apartment is very basic and can also act as a metaphor for Fai's state of mind, messy and dark. The cinematography was very good at helping to tell the story in the best way possible and creates an almost claustrophobic feeling with many close and medium shots and locations often being small. The claustrophobic feeling from the closed in cinematography creates a similar feeling to what Fai's character must be feeling, closed in and trapped by his ex/lover Po Wing. All in all, I think this film is definitely worth a watch but could possibly be frustrating if you are easily bored. Its an interesting piece of cinema when it comes to psychology and is a interesting spin on a love story.

this film is one of the most confusing films i have watched and this is due to it being a surreal film, the way it switches from black and white to colour or how the camera footage is hand held then stood still. to some this film up without being offensive is about 2 gay men who are clearly in love with each other but cannot survive together its a love story that was not meant to be. also the director shows a completely different side to hong kong cinema. happy together is surreal in many ways, its a film which is hard to keep up with and one of them films which you have to watch the whole thing to look back and understand as the film is constsntly skipping to things happening which you do not see, listening is very important in this film to understand.

Innovative, special and inspired. I runned into the cinema, having no idea of what kind of movie was expecting me. It was a big surprise. The story was really nothing that would interest me in anyway, but this is the proof, that beauty is on the form .What an amazing film! Full of resources and passion. They say it wasn't all new, or maybe any of it, but it was elegant, and unusual.I was touched, and amazed. For me it was the revelation of a genius. His following works confirmed this impression. Wong Kar Wai is a great artist.Thank you very much!

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.