Wong Kar-Wai has already established himself as one of the most talented filmmakers working in Hong Kong cinema, and, indeed, the world. In his latest film, Happy Together, he recounts the story of two gay lovers, played brilliantly by Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung. As usual, the storyline in the film is rather sparse, which does nothing to detract from the final product. The beauty of Happy Together lies in Wong Kar-Wai and cinematographer Christopher Doyle's unsurpassed ability to simulate a specific mood through film. In Happy Together, the filmmakers continue their trademark visual style, consisting heavily on strobe, slow-motion, wide-angle lenses, and jump-cuts. For the first time in Wong Kar-Wai's career, he mixes black and white with color film, creating a complex web of flashbacks. The color, especially, seems to almost jump out from the screen. The music, taken from tango album 'The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night', by Astor Piazzola, beautifully excentuates the lingering feelings for a lover gone. Happy Together marks another point in Wong Kar-Wai's maturity as a director. Each one of his films surpasses those previous to it.
Review of Happy Together
