Happy Together, released in 1997 and directed by the visionary Wong Kar-wai, is far more than a milestone in queer cinema. It is a haunting, neon-drenched exploration of human isolation, the impossibility of "starting over," and the profound anxiety of a city on the brink of historical change. Starring two of Hong Kong’s greatest actors, Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the film captures a turbulent romance set against the decaying grandeur of Buenos Aires. It famously earned Wong the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, cementing his status as a global auteur.

The narrative follows Ho Po-wing and Lai Yiu-fai, a couple who travels from Hong Kong to Argentina in search of the Iguazu Falls—a journey intended to save their failing relationship. Instead, they find themselves stranded in a foreign land, trapped in a cycle of mutual destruction and fleeting passion.

The Haunting Echo of Starting Over

At the heart of the film lies a recurring phrase spoken by Ho Po-wing: "Let’s start over." In the Cantonese original, "Bo yu ngo dei yau tau loi gwo" carries a weight that English subtitles struggle to fully capture. It is not just an invitation; it is a weapon.

For Ho Po-wing, starting over is a way to reset the consequences of his promiscuity and emotional volatility. For Lai Yiu-fai, it is a siren song that pulls him back into a relationship that consumes him. The film meticulously deconstructs the fallacy of the "fresh start." Wong Kar-wai suggests that we never truly start over; we merely carry the debris of our past into new settings. The circular nature of their arguments, filmed in cramped apartments and dingy hallways, mirrors the claustrophobia of their love.

In our analysis of the film’s emotional rhythm, it becomes clear that the characters are not just running toward a waterfall; they are running away from the reality of their own incompatibility. The brilliance of the screenplay lies in its refusal to offer a traditional "coming out" narrative. Their sexuality is incidental to the universal pain of loving someone who is fundamentally incapable of staying.

The Visual Mastery of Christopher Doyle and the Shift to Color

One cannot discuss Happy Together without acknowledging the kinetic, impressionistic cinematography of Christopher Doyle. The film begins in stark, high-contrast black and white. This choice reflects the bleakness and emotional stagnation of Fai and Po-wing’s initial breakup in Argentina. The world is drained of life, much like Fai’s spirit as he works as a doorman for a tango bar.

The transition to color is not a moment of sudden joy, but a gradual bleed into a reality that is even more overwhelming. Doyle uses saturated greens, deep ambers, and sickly yellows to create a "Buenos Aires of the Mind." In our technical review of the visual language, the use of "step-printing"—a technique where frames are repeated to create a blurred, slow-motion effect—perfectly illustrates the characters' sense of being out of sync with time.

The Iguazu Falls, captured in a breathtaking aerial shot, serve as the film’s ultimate visual metaphor. The roaring water is both a symbol of purity and a terrifying void. It is the "promised land" that the couple can never reach together. When Fai finally stands before the falls alone, the spray of the water is indistinguishable from tears, marking the moment he finally breaks free from the cycle of "starting over."

Why Buenos Aires Became the Antipode of Hong Kong

Wong Kar-wai famously chose Argentina because it is geographically the furthest place from Hong Kong. In 1997, as the British colony prepared for the handover to China, a sense of "pre-post-colonial" anxiety permeated the city. By moving his characters to the literal opposite side of the world, Wong was able to explore the theme of exile in its purest form.

The characters are "stateless" in more ways than one. They are Hong Kongers in a Spanish-speaking land, gay men in a society that marginalizes them, and lovers who no longer have a home in each other’s hearts. The film captures the feeling of looking at a clock in Buenos Aires and realizing that it is exactly twelve hours different from home—a constant reminder that while they are trying to escape their roots, they are inextricably tied to them.

The presence of the television news reporting on the death of Deng Xiaoping and the upcoming handover serves as a grounding wire. It reminds the audience that while Fai and Po-wing are lost in their personal melodrama, history is moving forward without them. Their displacement is both personal and political.

The Contrast of Performance: Tony Leung vs. Leslie Cheung

The chemistry between Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung is the engine that drives the film. In our assessment, their performances represent two distinct philosophies of acting.

Tony Leung, as Lai Yiu-fai, delivers a masterclass in internalised suffering. His performance is found in the way he hunches his shoulders while cooking for Po-wing, or the way his eyes dart toward the door, hoping and fearing his lover's return. Fai is the anchor, the man who wants stability but is addicted to the chaos Po-wing provides.

Leslie Cheung, as Ho Po-wing, is pure electricity. He is charismatic, maddening, and fragile. Cheung portrays Po-wing not as a villain, but as a man who is terrified of being alone and uses his beauty as a shield. The scene where he dances the tango with Fai in a communal kitchen is one of the most intimate moments in cinema history—a fleeting truce in an ongoing war.

The Role of Chang: The Lighthouse in the Fog

The introduction of Chang, played by a young Chang Chen, provides a crucial tonal shift in the latter half of the film. Unlike the toxic, circular relationship of the leads, Chang represents linear progression and hope. He is a traveler who is "listening" to the world, literally asking Fai to record his sorrows into a tape recorder so he can leave them at the "End of the World" (the lighthouse in Ushuaia).

Chang serves as a foil to Ho Po-wing. Where Po-wing takes, Chang gives. Where Po-wing anchors Fai to a painful past, Chang offers a glimpse of a future. The final sequence in Taipei, where Fai visits the night market run by Chang’s family, suggests that while Fai has lost his lover, he has regained his sense of belonging within the broader Chinese diaspora.

The Sound of Despair: Astor Piazzolla and Frank Zappa

The soundtrack of Happy Together is as essential as its visuals. Wong Kar-wai opted against traditional Canto-pop, choosing instead the melancholy "Nuevo Tango" of Astor Piazzolla. The aggressive, mournful pull of the bandoneon mirrors the push-and-pull of the characters' relationship.

The use of the song "Happy Together" (a cover of the Turtles’ classic) at the end of the film is deeply ironic. It plays as Fai travels through the Taipei transit system, alone but finally at peace. The happiness found is not the happiness of a couple, but the hard-won serenity of an individual who has survived a traumatic love.

The 4K Restoration and the Loss of History

In 2019, during the 4K restoration process overseen by Wong Kar-wai, a fire at the laboratory resulted in the loss of some of the original 35mm negatives. This led to a slightly altered version of the film, where some of Tony Leung’s monologues had to be shortened or removed.

For purists, this was a devastating blow to cinematic history. However, it also adds another layer of meaning to a film already obsessed with the fragmentation of memory. The restored version remains a visual marvel, but the "missing pieces" serve as a meta-commentary on the film’s theme: that some things, once lost, can never truly be "started over."

What is the meaning of the ending in Happy Together?

The ending of Happy Together is widely interpreted as an optimistic departure from a tragic past. When Lai Yiu-fai stands alone at Iguazu Falls, he fulfills the promise he made to himself, realizing that he can appreciate the beauty of the world without the burden of Ho Po-wing.

His stopover in Taipei is significant. It represents a "middle ground"—a place that is not quite Hong Kong but feels familiar. By stealing the photo of Chang, Fai acknowledges a connection to another human being that is based on hope rather than desperation. He realizes that even if he doesn't know where he is going, he knows where to find a piece of home.

Summary of Critical Impact

Happy Together changed the landscape of world cinema by proving that a "gay film" could be a universal story of human longing. It stripped away the stereotypes and focused on the raw, often ugly dynamics of a relationship in breakdown. Wong Kar-wai’s direction, combined with the legendary performances of Leung and Cheung, created a work that feels as visceral today as it did in 1997.

Key Takeaways

  • Thematically Rich: Explores exile, the 1997 handover, and the fallacy of restarting.
  • Visual Iconography: Christopher Doyle’s cinematography remains a gold standard for atmospheric storytelling.
  • Cultural Milestone: A landmark in both LGBTQ+ representation and Hong Kong’s "Second Wave" cinema.
  • Auteur Legacy: Won Best Director at Cannes, solidifying Wong Kar-wai’s global influence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Wong Kar-wai choose Argentina as the setting?

He chose it because it is the "antipode" of Hong Kong. It represented the furthest possible escape for the characters during a time of immense political uncertainty back home.

Is Happy Together based on a book?

The film was partially inspired by the novel The Buenos Aires Affair by Manuel Puig, though Wong Kar-wai moved significantly away from the source material during the improvisational filming process.

Why is the first part of the movie in black and white?

The black and white represents the emotional stagnation and "death" of the relationship. The transition to color symbolizes Fai’s re-entry into the world, even if that world is painful and lonely.

Does the 4K restoration change the story?

The core story remains the same, but due to a laboratory fire, some original footage and monologues were lost, leading to slight edits in the 2021 Criterion release.

What happened to Ho Po-wing at the end?

The film leaves him in Buenos Aires, heartbroken and alone in their shared apartment. He is left to face the reality that he can no longer "start over" with Fai, as Fai has finally moved on.