Happy Together (1997)
Seems like every Wong Kar-wai movie is about people who can’t be together, and here he we have two people that actually are together but the relationship is very dysfunctional. Despite the title, they don’t seem that happy. Does Wong Kar-wai believe in lasting relationships?
This is probably my first proper queer film (I don’t think watching Bound as a teenager really counts) and while the fact that it is a gay relationship never becomes a main point, it did portray a couple dynamics that I haven’t seen depicted with a typical male/female relationship on film. They both have very aggressive sides, sometimes violent, but it never feels threatening for any of them. In fact it is not the physical part that is the issue, but rather the need for control and extreme jealousy that is at play here.
Being shot by Doyle everything of course looks beautiful here. From the noir black and white to the high contrast colors. But overall it was still a very middling experience for me. Not as good looking as In The Mood For Love and not as charming as Chungking Express.
Rating: 3.5