Happy Together (film)
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Happy Together (春光乍泄, Hanyu pinyin: chūn guāng zhà xiè) is a 1997 Hong Kong movie directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu Wai.
Wong Kar-wai interview excerpt:
- "In this film, some audiences will say that the title seems to be very cynical, because it is about two persons living together, and at the end, they are just separate. But to me, happy together can apply to two persons or apply to a person and his past, and I think sometimes when a person is at peace with himself and his past, I think it is the beginning of a relationship which can be happy, and also he can be more open to more possibilities in the future with other people." [link]
Plot outline
A gay couple, Ho-Po Wing (Leslie Cheung) and Lai Yiu-fai (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) from pre-handover Hong Kong visits Argentina to renew their lagging relationship. One of their main goals here is to visit the Iguazu waterfalls which serve as a leitmotiv in the movie and represents their desire to revive the intensity of attraction they felt at the outset of their relationship.Lai is the more stable and committed of the two, and desires nothing more than a fairly normal life. Unfortunately, Ho (typical of characters played by Leslie Cheung) has an extremely destructive personality and is not able to commit to a monogamous relationship. He picks up numerous other men, and even goes so far to bring them the club that Lai works at. Eventually the two separate, and go their separate ways.
One day Ho-Po Wing turns up severely beaten at Lai Yiu-fai's apartment, who takes him in and begins to take care of him. Initially, Lai works hard to keep Ho-Po at bay physically and emotionally. However in the end, they get back together. Their actions indicate a continual pattern of abuse, break-up, finally followed by reconciliation. As in the previous times, in the beginning Ho does try to make the relationship work, but gradually the destructive side of his personality takes over and the familiar cycle of mutual abuse and dependence starts once more.
As Lai and Ho's relationships starts falling apart again, Lai befriends Chang, a fellow Chinese from Taiwan at work. In some sense, Chang is Ho's opposite. Whereas Ho is manipulative and volatile, Chang is straightforward and stable. After Ho fully recovers, he resumes his playboy lifestyle and leaves Lai. Lai copes with the loss by spending more and more time with Chang (although his relationship with him is entirely platonic). Chang's unassuming self-awareness and sincerity help Lai out of his depression, contributing to his eventual realization that his relationship with Ho-Po Wing is based on an ideal which no longer has any basis in reality.
After a few months, Ho again contacts Lai, but this time, Lai has the strength to avoid starting the cycle. While on the surface, Ho is angry about Lai's rejection, privately he also mourns this loss. Eventually, Lai finds the strength to visit the waterfalls and return to Hong Kong.
Awards
- Best Director, 1997 Cannes Film Festival
- 1998 Tony Leung Chiu-Wai won best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards
See also
External links
| Films Directed by Wong Kar-wai | ||
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