Happy Together (1997)

Wong Kar Wai's film 'Happy Together' gripped me in a stern way. Negatively or otherwise, I can't tell. It's such a beauty. 

Watching it, I realised some important aspects of his Cinema that I hadn't noticed in his other films which I'd seen.  A very direct understanding of his filmmaking
style that showed the vision that had made made Fallen Angels & Chungking Express. 





The dialogue itself was very rare, the images and the monologues of only the main character gave us an image of what was going on. There was no excess music and
every note felt raw and intimate. 

I felt a bit anxious starting this film because I thought it would be explicit, but it wasn't. Outside the first scene there wasn't much of anything like that. At
that moment I thought of Hayao Miyazaki and how he doesn't have his characters show love through kissing, I felt the emotions in the films show through more than
just what the physical touch allows us. There have been rare directors and filmmakers with whole I felt that nudity was other than to simply sell. It isn't
something I enjoy when I feel it isn't done right. 

In my opinion, now it is even harder to show love because, maybe we must blame our moral or lack thereof, that the only interest in a film is generated though the
possibility of seeing you favourite actress nude. This movie however, did it well. I liked it. I liked that I could feel their relationship. Regardless of the
direction it was taking. 

Another thing I felt about this film while watching it was the dynamic of the films. I wondered if I should be glad it wasn't a woman. Tony's character was
constantly caring for a man who did not hesitate to hurt him. There was no doubt in the viewer's eyes that Tony was in love. It was Leslie's character that
confused me. From the start (because he was the one taking it) I thought he'd be the one playing what one would consider a feminine role. 

I was very happy I was wrong. 

I kept wondering and thinking of how relationships work. 

I wondered what the three of them thought as they made the film. If they thought of the women in their lives at all. If they ever noticed a semblance of patterns.
Maybe not. 





I loved the house, the kitchen, I thought it was run down but I loved it still. 

I realised it was because of his films, specifically Fallen Angels that made me think, maybe it's not too bad to be poor, to be able to enjoy the small things in
life, to be content as is, to not have dreams for big and lavish things but instead to love what is. 

In people and houses, to be happy with what you have already is something I haven't seen in others but something that I enjoyed because of him. I even learned to
pick up on life's small moments. 

Another aspect was the colour palette. Mainly yellow and blue with a matching red and orange tint. The colour begins later on in the film, not sure when but maybe
when they start living together again. There I thought of how yellow means joy and blue is sadness.  And how they have both. 

 ✩