Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master ListCannes · 1
Spoiler-free premise
Hong Kong lovers Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing become stranded in Argentina, repeating separation and reunion far from home.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing travel from Hong Kong to Argentina hoping to renew their relationship but separate after failing to reach Iguazu Falls. Lai takes work in Buenos Aires while Ho repeatedly returns, and coworker Chang offers another form of connection.
Why it belongs
Happy Together makes a failing relationship sensuous through handheld color, monochrome memory, Astor Piazzolla, cramped rooms, and Leung and Cheung's bruising intimacy.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
The falls lamp, tango bars, shared apartment, kitchen work, changing film stocks, Buenos Aires streets, and Piazzolla's bandoneon make distance and repetition physical—Tony Leung's restraint meets Leslie Cheung's volatile need.
