Happy Together
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Leslie Cheung, Tony LeungBrand: Kino International
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Cantonese (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-19
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Kino Video
Movie Reviews of Happy Together
Movie Review: Sometimes all you need is to just start over...
Summary: 5 Stars
Some films just understand human emotion better than others. `Chun Gwong Cha Sit' is one of those films. It completely destroys me emotionally because it completely understands what it means to be human and in love.
If you've read my reviews then you may know that I have a rocky relationship with director Kar Wai Wong. My first experience was with the unfortunate `My Blueberry Nights', and following that up with the overrated `Chung Hing Sam Lam' was not a good thing. I found myself wondering just why this guy was so lauded. Then, because I was heavily persuaded, I sat down to watch `Fa Yeung Nin Wa' and was so blown away (one of the best films I have ever seen, and I've seen a LOT of films) that I was willing to watch anything this guy has made and ever will make based on the brilliance of that film alone.
So that brings me to `Chun Gwong Cha Sit', a film that is so tragically beautiful (for many of the same reasons that `Fa Yeung Nin Wa' was so tragically beautiful) that I am brought to my knees once again.
Having given this film some time to soak in, I am ready and willing to label it a masterpiece.
The film tells of the rocky relationship between Lai Yiu-Fai and Ho Po-Wing; two gay lovers living in Argentina. On the films outset we are informed that their relationship is highly unstable. En route to visit a beautiful waterfall they have a falling out and separate. This is not uncommon, according to Lai's narration. They are reunited and, after a serious altercation, Ho winds up injured and in Lai's care. The two are obviously deeply in love, yet they are both very passionate and incompatible people. Their fights are aggressive and soon their relationship begins to fray. This does not detract from the fact that they are, without a doubt, in love.
There are many aspects of this film that are noteworthy and that, after reflection, continue to haunt the viewer. Ho, for instance, appears to use and abuse the love shown by Lai; almost resenting him for being there for him. Despite the mistreatment, Lai struggles to contemplate a life without Ho. Having personally been in a relationship where I was constantly used (and having to deal with a completely self-centered individual) I can sympathize with the feeling of being `stuck'. If you stay, you continue to be abused but if you leave you will suffer the dark depths of loneliness. There is also the relationship that spawns between Lai and Chang, a young co-worker who is sowing his oats away from home. Their relationship, while never truly intimate, becomes a focal point for the discussion of male bonding.
And then there is that lamp, the representation of a life of dreams yet to be fulfilled.
With any character driven drama, the finest asset is always the acting. Even if the story itself is flawless, the actors still need to sell it. Leslie Cheung and especially Tony Leung (who delivers one of the best performances of the 90's) are more than up to the task of selling this film. With deeply detailed and virtually contradictive characters, these two actors feed off one another without ever losing themselves as individuals. These two men couldn't be more different, yet they compliment one another beautifully. Cheung understands the arrogance that comes from this character's passion, and Leung subtly shatters us with the pain etched on his very face. There are so many memorable moments when concerning these two performances, but one in particular comes very early in the film, when the two men are reunited. Watch for Leung's explosive confrontation to see the full gravity of his performance.
Breathtaking.
In the end I am simply blow away by this tour-de-force film. Every cavity is impeccably fleshed out to deliver one of the most shockingly real and beautifully moving pieces of cinema.
Summary of Happy Together
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