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| The two leads dance a tango in a crucial scene of the movie. |
I wasn’t aware of the scope Leslie Cheung’s acting, writing and musical career (he was once
ranked as the favorite actor in the 100 years of Chinese cinema) when I saw a
beautifully sculpted 1:6 scale action figure of him in a tuxedo.
I was intrigued by this actor who was so popular and then threw himself off a hotel roof in 2003.
I set out to see some of his films.
The first I’ve seen is Kar Wai Wong’s Happy Together, in which he stars with
Tony Leung Chiu Wai. I’ve seen the film twice and found it even more powerful the
second time.
The irony of the title is established from the beginning of
the film, which deals with the episodic love-hate relationship of Lai Yiu-Fai
and Ho Po-Wing, a gay couple from Hong Kong who end up in Argentina. Po owns a
light which shows Iguzau Falls and the two set off to find it. That quest
becomes one of the motifs of the movie—the elusive place where they might just find the happiness they seek together.
Early on in the film, which appears to be only in black and
white, Fai pictures the falls and they are a deep blue. Gradually, director-writer
Wong establishes that Fai’s happiness is tied to the use of strong saturated
color. Another motif of the movie is use of the Argentine tango music and the
dance which often appears the metaphor to Fai and Po’s relationship. A third
motif of the film is stated at the very beginning as the two of them break up
and Po says to Fai, “Let’s start over.” Fai tells us that to Po that means many
different things.
The film is through Fai’s eyes (with a subjective narration)--until a third character Chang arrives and then he occasionally gives
commentary.
In a long black and white sequence, after their opening breakup, Fai ends up in Buenos Aires as
a doorman to a tango bar. Po-wing comes to the club with rich guys he is
dating. They end up fighting, Po gives Fai a watch and then gets beaten up. (Po
tends to date guys who beat him up.) Po tries to seduce Fai in a scene where he
asks for a cigarette, but it takes Po showing up badly injured (blood streaming
from his forehead and his hands) before they start over and Fai moves him into
his apartment. The film moves to highly saturated color.
Director-writer Wong takes scenes and long shorts to
establish the growth and eventual breakup of the two lovers. In a beautiful
sequence, the two finally appear truly happy as they tango in the apartment
building’s communal kitchen.
Gradually each becomes jealous of the other and Fai tries
too hard to keep Po to himself. When Fai changes jobs and develops a friendship
with coworker Chang (Chen Chang) he finds a caring friend who offers more
emotional support than the self-centered mercurial Po.
Tony Leung Chiu Wai is a strong actor and has an incredible scene where he merely
sits with a pocket tape recorder in front of his face and begins to cry. His scene is
matched with a later moment where we see Leslie Cheung sitting clutching a
blanket and sobbing. Both actors/both characters feel strongly and make us feel the
same.
Throughout the film is a pervasive melancholy mood which is
only somewhat resolved at the end. Will the two start over again? Perhaps, or
perhaps not. When the Turtles’ sing about being happy together, we know they
may not find that.
The film reminds me of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (2005)
in many ways, especially the unrestrained display of the gay world these three
characters inhabit. Like Lee’s film, it is one which is difficult to forget.
Happy Together (1997), *****
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