Happy Together, dir. Kar-wai Wong, 1999. Mandarin/Spanish with subtitles.
As this was on the tape after "The Locket" and my lecturer had lent it me, I was curious to see what sort of film this was.
Three words: Gay Mandarin Porn.
So, of course, I had to watch it.
This is a love story between two men from Hong Kong who go on a road trip to Argentina. While travelling, they break up. One ends up as a prostitute, the other as a doorman at a club as they try to save up enough money to get back to Hong Kong. The one who ends up as a prostitute tries to make his ex jealous as often as possible, and eventually, they do get back together, ending up in a tiny flat in outer Buenos Aires.
Despite the fact that it IS a love story, the direction and the narrative don't actually make this feel like one. Instead, it feels more like the desperate coming together of two people who are woefully unsuited for each other, who don't like each other very much at all but are dependant on each other for cultural identity in a land far away from home. There are some poignant moments, and some downright nasty moments, but overall, there isn't enough in this film to provide the viewer with any sympathy for the characters. There was immense frustration on the part of the viewer, IMO, b.c there was so little to like about ANY of the characters.
Filmically, there was a nice quality to the cinematography, very stark and minimalist, which works very well when used in situations that are quite emotionally draining. This is an interesting film for curiousities sake, but overall, I didn't find it to be particularly gripping.
Three words: Gay Mandarin Porn.
So, of course, I had to watch it.
This is a love story between two men from Hong Kong who go on a road trip to Argentina. While travelling, they break up. One ends up as a prostitute, the other as a doorman at a club as they try to save up enough money to get back to Hong Kong. The one who ends up as a prostitute tries to make his ex jealous as often as possible, and eventually, they do get back together, ending up in a tiny flat in outer Buenos Aires.
Despite the fact that it IS a love story, the direction and the narrative don't actually make this feel like one. Instead, it feels more like the desperate coming together of two people who are woefully unsuited for each other, who don't like each other very much at all but are dependant on each other for cultural identity in a land far away from home. There are some poignant moments, and some downright nasty moments, but overall, there isn't enough in this film to provide the viewer with any sympathy for the characters. There was immense frustration on the part of the viewer, IMO, b.c there was so little to like about ANY of the characters.
Filmically, there was a nice quality to the cinematography, very stark and minimalist, which works very well when used in situations that are quite emotionally draining. This is an interesting film for curiousities sake, but overall, I didn't find it to be particularly gripping.