I first saw Happy Together during its original release and kind of liked it. I recall very clearly not quite understanding why I kind of liked it ,and couldn't justify it to my friend who I'd seen it with and who didn't like it. 10 years later a friend gave me bag of old DVD's he was getting rid of and this was one of those, so I watched it again one rainy afternoon. What a difference a second viewing made. I recently saw it again on the big screen and my affections and appreciation for this film continues to grow as the film continues to reveal itself and I understand it more. Unlike many, I do not see this film as a love story between to men but rather view the central relationship as just one of the films many elements the director uses to show the individual and solo aspect of life that each of us faces. Family relationships, romantic love, professional relationships, random people that come and go in our lives, and through differing cultures, are all used to illustrate this central theme. The acting is wonderful, the characters unique and interesting and the cinematography and score all combine to create a beautiful and powerful, and haunting experience. Happy Together is not an easily accessible film and for the viewers who saw this film and liked it or disliked it, I encourage a second viewing. Happy Together really is a wonderful and moving film well worth the time and challenge.

The first and only instance of actual sex in Happy Together is at the beginning. While many will use black and white to depict a nostalgic longing for a memory, here the harsh physicality of their lovemaking actually becomes so damaging in retrospect. Their bodies are intertwined tightly on the ragged bed - the foolish idea that getting away together might mend their relationship finds them stuck in Argentina, although they have their own ways of earning enough to return to Hong Kong. And then slowly, after a violent row, the colour starts to leak back into the frame, and the inevitability of the vicious cycle beckons them once more. Twice, the overhead shot of Buenos Aires shows the night-life in time lapse; a flurry of light and movement and time passing. But it seems to be almost the same thing over and over. And for Ho and Lai, this rings true; they cannot help be drawn into each other, they cannot help that a dance turns into a kiss turns into something else, they are struck by a curse to repeatedly run back to one another. And then they sabotage, and makeup; Lai turns furious and yells at Ho's suggestion that he cooks for him even though he is sick, and then we suddenly cut to him at the stove (happiest times of his life indeed). Ho vehemently defends himself against accusations of snooping, then we flashback to the act itself. And again, and again. Doyle's cinematography adds so much to the film. Look at Chang's introduction, where the camera sways in time with his movements as he shuts his eyes and daydreams and everything in the background is blurred out in shallow focus. He colour codes strongly so that key objects leap out from the yellow tint that saturates the room they share; a red blanket ripe for lust, the lighthouse lamp with a blue glow, spinning ever so slightly in the background of their relationship, and when it finally ends, Lai is either enveloped in darkness or staring at the walls that don't seem to pop so much. And see how the editing subtly evokes a difference between the characters and Ho and Chang and how they interact with Lai; when he confronts him about the missing passport, we get a quick succession of cuts which accentuate and repeat each harsh, hurtful word and every facet of their lies. The same sort of sequence is used again when Lai and Chang say goodbye; the hug is repeated from three different perspectives, as if to fully bask in the moment of physical embrace, and then it cuts to an overhead shot that sort of just hovers nervously in the lull of the moment...and it's such a remarkable difference between the two confrontations. Chang is everything Ho is not: caring, softly spoken, honest, not abusive. There is an almost perfection to the way that post-breakup Lai handles things. WKW was right; this is not a movie about gay characters, but simply characters that are constantly in mourning and celebration over a never-ending relationship. Something as passionate and lengthy as that does not simply leave you quickly; it sticks with you and every moment after. He begins to wander bathrooms seeking male companionship, until he spots his former lover...and never visits that area again. This rings so true. And there is the repeating motif of the Iguazu waterfalls; sequences comprised completely of footage of the cavernous cliffs and the water endlessly falling into an abyss, that becomes so heartbreakingly dreamlike and out of reach. Are we doomed to have a piece of our past in us for all eternity? For Lai, as he steals that photo of Ho, it seems so.

This film is one of my favourite and it is the first Wong Kar Wai film I saw. It left an indelible impression on me by its strong and original cinematography, unbelievably humane characters, persuasive and brave acting and a moody soundtrack. Adding a beautiful Buenos Aires as backdrop, all those add up to a truly outstanding movie and to me it is WKW at his best (on par with "2046"). It is a film which truly touches the mind and soul and goes deep into what a relationship takes.Not much comment on the plot because it is so realistic and resembles a well-captured life documentary of the two gay men venturing abroad. As it is now clear, WKW makes different films simply to manifest his same vision on love again and again: intense but sparse happiness enjoyed by lovers is inevitably accompanied by long term emotional pains and losses, and when the couple separates, the despair and memory haunt them forever. However, 'Happy Together' adds extra dimensions to that familiar theme: firstly, the relationship is homosexual so the day-to-day interaction between the characters is a bit fresher and secondly, the alienation felt by the two guys in Argentina and the desire by Yiu Fai to live a new, and better, life drives the movie forward. The optimism showed at the end of the movie is a rare but welcome breather from his heavier films like "In the Ashes of Time", "In the Mood for Love" and "2046", where the despair is total and insurmountable. Also, as the characters have an end in mind (returning to Hong Kong), the storyline processes slowly but surely so that it adds a bit more fluidity.I am surprised how little credit has been given to Leslie Cheung's role as Po Wing. Tony Leung's performance as Yiu Fai is excellent but comparing to him, Leslie Cheung is simply better. He is the soul of the film and many scenes would lose its impact if it is done by a less charming and charismatic actor (with the scenes of Po Wing hassling Yiu Fai to cook in the middle of the night, the tango dance in the kitchen, and where Po Wing showing his vulnerability after being beaten by his client). Knowing he is homosexual in real life does not take away any of his achievement of playing Po Wing exactly like it should be. His performance here is arguably as well as he did in "Farewell My Concubine".It makes me want to see the Iguaçu Fall.

This movie could just have easily been about any couple, entwined in a narcissistic relationship. Yiu Fai keeps thinking that lasting happiness with Po Wing might be just a little further on, if he can just hang in there; Po Wing is, as narcissists are, insecure, and oscillates between closeness and abandonment. There are many telling sequences along the way that show how Po Wing is untrustworthy, sometimes something of a hypochondriac, and almost always maddening. Yiu Fai may think he can eventually nurture the relationship along, but it's crushing to continually be rewarded with more rudeness. It's torture to watch, horrible to go through in real life, or to watch your friends go through it - unfortunately, it's all too real. Love and loneliness might take many forms, but each end up feeling as they always will.