Happy Together (Leslie Cheung)

Show & Culture

In a tiny and grimy Buenos Aires flat, two penniless Hong Kongers are locked in a volatile relationship. The predicament of these characters, played by Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung, serves as a powerful metaphor for the anxiety and identity crises of Hong Kong citizens facing the 1997 British handover to China. Cheung’s magnetic, self-destructive spin on his star persona clashes brilliantly with Leung’s trademark quiet intensity, using their characters’ toxic chemistry to paint a hallucinatory and enthralling picture of exile and heartbreak. While the breathtaking 35mm cinematography – here, a mix of black-and-white and poisonous colours – is expected in a Wong Kar Wai picture, this queer, Argentina-set story marks an exciting narrative departure for the director. Yet, with Happy Together, Wong confirmed once and for all his title as the global auteur of cinematic longing.