The Story:
Happy Together, written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, is about two gay men from Hong Kong, Fai and Po-Wing, who have an on-again, off-again relationship filled with abuse, insecurities, and lies. During a visit to Argentina, they get lost trying to find the Iguazu Falls and break up, leaving both men penniless and stranded in a foreign country.
While Po-Wing lives a life of promiscuity, Fai gets a job as a doorman at a bar to make enough money to live and save to get to back to Hong Kong. When Po-Wing shows up badly beaten, Fai takes him to the hospital, then loses his job when he exacts revenge on the man who beat up Po-Wing. Fai allows Po-Wing to live with him while he heals and considers the time he spent nursing Po-Wing as the happiest times of their relationship, despite the fact that Po-Wing is clearly using him. And so the film continues, with Fai finding employment at a restaurant kitchen where he becomes friendly with a Taiwanese man, Chang. The two become close and Po-Wing gets jealous. From here, the film plays out to its depressing and inevitable conclusion.
Although I didn’t care for the story, I did like that the Fai and Po-Wing’s relationship is presented the same as a straight couple, with their homosexuality not being pertinent to the plot. Both Leslie Cheung (Ho Po-Wing) and Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Lai Yiu-Fai) make their characters believable and have a chemistry that works well for the film.
And for a film that never romanticizes its subject, it’s strikingly beautiful. Fai lives in a truly cheap building with a shared kitchen and bathroom. The walls are dirty, the furniture worn, and the mattress has fleas. And with all this, director Wong Kar-wai is able to find beauty. There are so many scenes that could become photos on their own. Kar-wai clearly has a sense of style and mood that elevates the film to art.
Final Thoughts:
Happy Together is so moody and beautiful to watch that it resonates with many viewers. I’m among the few who could appreciate it but can’t say that it was enjoyable. If it had a bit more story to chew on, I would have raved over it. But as is, I felt it was just okay.