Wong Kar-Wai, Happy Together, 1997.
JANUS FILMS / COURTESY
Maria Castano, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Would you let go of the things that make you a bad person when they are all you have? What would you do if you find yourself on the other side of the world, abandoned by your lover, with a job you hate, no friends and just a millisecond before you hit rock bottom, your lover comes back with both of his hands broken? What would you do if this obstacle then causes you to have to live with him, take care of him, bathe him and feed him for months, all for him to say he wants to return back to his home country – alone and without you?
“Happy Together” is a movie that analyzes human connection. It delves into the fear of being alone, yearning for someone who can understand you, someone who needs you as desperately as you need them, and what (not) to do when that person tries to leave. Wong Kar-Wai’s approach to negative human emotions is not only mesmerizing with the way he uses color in his films, but also extremely complex, as he acknowledges the struggle lonely people face when the only person they may have is the worst companion they could wish for.
Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai exist surrounded by alienation – not only from the countries they visit but from each other. At the beginning of the movie, it is extremely easy to hate Ho for his actions; he is selfish, toxic, ungrateful and completely reliant on Lai. He is despicable and does nothing but make you wonder why Lai still decides to hang on to him so desperately. That is up until you get to the scene where he’s telling Lai to sleep with him and cuddle, tip-toeing back to their times as lovers.
The scene approaches where the couple is slow-dancing in the kitchen, when a shot of the lamp with the Iguazu falls, representing the longing to be somewhere else – somewhere better where the water flows. A place so massive and infinite you can see it and remember, or even better – forget that ontological loneliness that plagues the life of those without community. And suddenly, for a moment, it’s easy to forget why Lai was mad at Ho to begin with. The intimacy they share and the indescribable feeling of hope that lingers in the air because of how easy it is to be happy in that moment is made clear. All that was present was the sound of slow music and the weight of one another in their hands. This scene emphasizes the root of yearning within Lai, and is foundational in the understanding of how toxic relationships work based on melancholy and all of the “what-ifs.”
Many have spoken about how desires can warp people, and create them into monsters, dehumanizing those who want beyond the limits and want more than what’s good for them. In some instances, this philosophy can be helpful to understand how to better our human nature. However, Wong takes a different approach and analyzes the cause for such disproportionate yearning – the things that lead people to harm others and themselves in the process of getting something that is not good for them. This movie shows an understanding of the desperation and fear of being an exile and being aided by exploring a queer relationship, while also reflecting on the humanity of these emotions in a way that makes one see these characters as real people. It makes the idea of a queer, Chinese couple slowly dancing under the dim lights all while simultaneously hiding cigarettes around their apartment to fuel an addiction, as plausible as if you had been seeing their story through a hole in the walls of their apartment.
This movie is a poignant representation of how exiles yearn, and the ugliness that comes out of people when left desperate for a place to belong.
“One thing I never told Ho Po-Wing was that I didn’t want him to recover too quickly. Those were our happiest days,” Lai said.