Movie Backdrop

Happy Together streaming

Original title: 春光乍洩

1997 Movie Hong Kong SAR China, South Korea, Japan Drama, Romance 96 min Ages 15+

By: Wong Kar-Wai, Wong Kar-wai With: 張國榮, Wong Man-Chun, Chang Chen, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Law Shu-Kei

Yiu-Fai and Po-Wing arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong and take to the road for a holiday. Something is wrong and their relationship goes adrift. A disillusioned Yiu-Fai starts working at a tango bar to save up for his trip home. When a beaten and bruised Po-Wing reappears, Yiu-Fai is empathetic but is unable to enter a more intimate relationship. After all, Po-Wing is not ready to settle down. Yiu-Fai now works in a Chinese restaurant and meets the youthful Chang from Taiwan. Yiu-Fai's life takes on a new spin, while Po-Wing's life shatters continually in contrast.

Filmium rating

77%

Festival Achievements

Rotterdam International Film Festival 2004

Selections:

main programme features

Mood

Melancholic

Reflective

Regretful

Romantic

Cast & Crew

Wong Kar-Wai

Manuel Puig

張國榮

Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Wong Man-Chun

梁朝偉

Chang Chen

張震

Leslie Cheung

Gregory Dayton

Ho Chi-Moon

Law Shu-Kei

Chen Chang

Tony Leung

Cinematic Technique

Grainy

Grainy Cinematography

Handheld

Handheld Camera

Handheld Shots

High Contrast

Film Movements

New Queer Cinema

Narrative Structure

Elliptical

Experimental

Experimental Storytelling

Nonlinear

Vague Plot

Pace

Deliberate

Elliptical

Meandering

Quicksilver

Rhythmic

Slow

Slow-Paced

Soundtrack

Caetano Veloso Cover

South American Music

Tango

Tango Music

Turtles Cover

Style

Cinematic

Experimental

Poetic

Stylized

Surrealism

Time-Period

1990S

1997

Hong Kong Cinema

Late 20Th Century

Pre-Handover Hong Kong

Central Conflict

Jealousy

Mutual Suspicion

Relationship Turbulence

Relationship Turmoil

Separation

Characters

Change

Gay Couple

Ho Po-Wing

Lai Yiu-Fai

Ending

Ambiguous

Bittersweet

Heartbreak

Historical Context

Hong Kong Handover 1997

Post-Colonial Uncertainty

Pre-Handover Uncertainty

Key Plot Points

Breakup In Argentina

Fai'S Departure

Fai'S Job Loss

Final Separation

Po-Wing'S Injury

Po-Wing'S Promiscuity

Plot

Argentina

Argentina Trip

Gay Relationship

Reconciliation

Romantic Drama

Separation

Separation And Reconciliation

Turbulent Gay Relationship

Turbulent Relationship

Turbulent Romance

Setting

Argentina

Buenos Aires

Good Aires

Good Airs

Hong Kong

Iguazu Falls

Taipei

Shooting Location

Argentina

Good Aires

Good Airs

Hong Kong

Iguazu Falls

Taipei

Theme

Belonging

Cultural Displacement

Cultural Identity

Displacement

Identity

Love

Love And Loss

Powerlessness

Genre

Art Film

Art House

Art-House

Lgbt Cinema

Lgbt Film

Lgbtq+

Romantic Drama

Audiences

Adult Viewers

Art House

Art House Cinephiles

Art House Viewers

Art-House Enthusiasts

Film Critics

Film Scholars

International Cinema

Lgbt Audience

Lgbtq+

Titles

Happy Together

Spring Light

Awards

Best Director Cannes

Palme D'Or Nomination

Box Office Success

Hk$8.6 Million

Hong Kong Hk$8.6 Million

North American $320,319

North American Gross $320,319

Critical Reception

Ecstatic

Metacritic 70

Mixed Reviews

Positive

Positive Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes 84%

Festivals

Cannes Film Festival

Toronto International Film Festival

Popularity

Cult Classic

Influential Lgbt Film

Ratings

High Critical Acclaim

Reception

Awards

Cannes Best Director

Critical Acclaim

Festival Award

Film Festivals

High Praise

Lgbt Recognition

Production Countries

Argentina

Hong Kong

Release Year

1997

mowizz ID: f60a3d6c-71f1-4252-99f0-577bf61662ac