Rent Happy Together (1997)
3.5 of 5 from 143 ratings
1h 34min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Cult director Wong Kar Wai's first film shot outside of Hong Kong is a spellbinding tribute to blind passion that features two of Asian cinema's biggest stars. Lai (Tony Leung) and Ho (Leslie Cheung) arrive in Argentina as lovers, but while driving south in search of adventures, something goes wrong and Ho leaves for Buenos Aries. Devastated, Lai finds work in a tango bar but is consumed by thoughts of being happy together once more with Ho. A heady cocktail of sound and vision, Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle marry the rythms of Buenos Aries and Frank Zappa's jazz to an astonishing array of images.
- Actors:
- Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Chen Chang, Gregory Dayton, Shirley Kwan
- Directors:
- Kar-Wai Wong
- Producers:
- Ye-cheng Chan, Kar-Wai Wong
- Writers:
- Manuel Puig, Kar-Wai Wong
- Aka:
- Chun gwong cha sit
- Studio:
- Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
- Genres:
- Drama, Lesbian & Gay, Romance
- Collections:
- A World of Difference: A History of Gay Cinema, Drama Films & TV, Films to Watch If You Like..., What to Watch Next If You Liked Nomadland
- Countries:
- Hong Kong
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 31/05/2021
- Run Time:
- 96 minutes
- Languages:
- Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- New program in which Wong answers questions submitted by authors Andre Aciman and Jonathan Lethem; filmmakers Sofia Coppola, Rian Johnson, Lisa Joy, and Chloe Zhao; cinematographers Philippe Le Sourd and Bradford Young; and filmmakers and founders/creative directors of Rodarte Kate and Laura Mulleavy
- Extended version of 'The Hand', a 2004 short film by Wong, available in the U.S. for the first time Hua yang de nian hua, a 2000 short film by Wong
- Interview and "cinema lesson" with Wong from 2001
- Several programs featuring interviews with Wong; cinematographer Christopher Doyle; actors Maggie Cheung Man Yuk, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Chang Chen, Faye Wong, and Ziyi Zhang; and others
- Deleted scenes, alternate endings, behind-the-scenes footage, a promo reel, music videos, and trailers
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Reviews (1) of Happy Together
The Least Happy “Happy” - Happy Together review by griggs
If you picked this on title alone, you’ve basically been swindled by optimism. Happy Together is one of the most misleading names going: it’s two people promising a “new start” every five minutes, then walking straight back into the same old mess.
Wong Kar-wai drops them in Argentina with that fresh-start fantasy, but exile doesn’t fix anything — it just gives your problems nicer scenery. Tony Leung Chiu-wai is the quiet one, trying to keep things together; Leslie Cheung is pure volatility and need, pulling them back the moment they get any distance. It’s less flirty daydream than bruising reality, and I like that Wong lets it be physical and messy.
It doesn’t always glide; sometimes it stalls between the big moments. But when it hits — that kitchen dance, the upside-down Hong Kong shot, the pull of Iguazu Falls — it’s gorgeous in a way that sneaks up on you, then refuses to let go.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.