Some films just understand human emotion better than others. `Chun Gwong Cha Sit' is one of those films. It completely destroys me emotionally because it completely understands what it means to be human and in love.

If you've read my reviews then you may know that I have a rocky relationship with director Kar Wai Wong. My first experience was with the unfortunate `My Blueberry Nights', and following that up with the overrated `Chung Hing Sam Lam' was not a good thing. I found myself wondering just why this guy was so lauded. Then, because I was heavily persuaded, I sat down to watch `Fa Yeung Nin Wa' and was so blown away (one of the best films I have ever seen, and I've seen a LOT of films) that I was willing to watch anything this guy has made and ever will make based on the brilliance of that film alone.

So that brings me to `Chun Gwong Cha Sit', a film that is so tragically beautiful (for many of the same reasons that `Fa Yeung Nin Wa' was so tragically beautiful) that I am brought to my knees once again.

Having given this film some time to soak in, I am ready and willing to label it a masterpiece.

The film tells of the rocky relationship between Lai Yiu-Fai and Ho Po-Wing; two gay lovers living in Argentina. On the films outset we are informed that their relationship is highly unstable. En route to visit a beautiful waterfall they have a falling out and separate. This is not uncommon, according to Lai's narration. They are reunited and, after a serious altercation, Ho winds up injured and in Lai's care. The two are obviously deeply in love, yet they are both very passionate and incompatible people. Their fights are aggressive and soon their relationship begins to fray. This does not detract from the fact that they are, without a doubt, in love.

There are many aspects of this film that are noteworthy and that, after reflection, continue to haunt the viewer. Ho, for instance, appears to use and abuse the love shown by Lai; almost resenting him for being there for him. Despite the mistreatment, Lai struggles to contemplate a life without Ho. Having personally been in a relationship where I was constantly used (and having to deal with a completely self-centered individual) I can sympathize with the feeling of being `stuck'. If you stay, you continue to be abused but if you leave you will suffer the dark depths of loneliness. There is also the relationship that spawns between Lai and Chang, a young co-worker who is sowing his oats away from home. Their relationship, while never truly intimate, becomes a focal point for the discussion of male bonding.

And then there is that lamp, the representation of a life of dreams yet to be fulfilled.

With any character driven drama, the finest asset is always the acting. Even if the story itself is flawless, the actors still need to sell it. Leslie Cheung and especially Tony Leung (who delivers one of the best performances of the 90's) are more than up to the task of selling this film. With deeply detailed and virtually contradictive characters, these two actors feed off one another without ever losing themselves as individuals. These two men couldn't be more different, yet they compliment one another beautifully. Cheung understands the arrogance that comes from this character's passion, and Leung subtly shatters us with the pain etched on his very face. There are so many memorable moments when concerning these two performances, but one in particular comes very early in the film, when the two men are reunited. Watch for Leung's explosive confrontation to see the full gravity of his performance.

Breathtaking.

In the end I am simply blow away by this tour-de-force film. Every cavity is impeccably fleshed out to deliver one of the most shockingly real and beautifully moving pieces of cinema.

Happy together was the first well-known film of Wong Kar-Wai. After that one came "In the mood of love", "2046", My blueberry nights and others... This splendid film was the tenth movie of the author but the first big successful work of Wong in western countries. The movie is a gripping tale of homosexual love. It's an exercise of striking visual virtuosity and unequivocal postmodern affiliation. The story itself and the way of filming are strange and captivating. Iguazu's falls scene with Caetano singing "Cucurrucucu paloma" is one of the most beautiful in Wong Kar-Wai's filmography: [...]

I owned this film before it was realeased in America, and the copy quality left a great deal to be desired. This new release brings this absolute Masterpiece by Wong Kar Wai (special Kudos to fine performances from Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung, and Cinematographer Christopher Doyle)to full, vibrant, and multi-dimensional life!!! Kar Wai is simply at his best here; from the wide variety of musical selections, to the varied usages of film stock.

Long before "Brokeback Mountain" tittilated American imaginations, this film was breaking major-league ground technically and artistically with the international community, and people in the know. Twelve years after it's initial release, it still boldly goes where most Directors fear to tread . . .

My favorite Won Kar Wai film; along with a great soundtrack.

CLASSIC & untouchable.

"Happy Together," winner of the 1997 Best Director prize at Cannes, examines a relationship in which two partners seem destined to be together, even when they decide to split up. Ho and Lai, a gay young couple from Hong Kong, are passionate lovers but continuously snip at each other and bicker. They relocate to Buenos Aires, hoping to mend their troubled relationship, but ultimately break up. Ho (Leslie Cheung) hustles for a living. Lai (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) takes a job as doorman at a seedy tango club. After Ho is beaten up by a client, Lai nurses him back to health. Yet even during Ho's recuperation, he is demanding, selfish, and thoughtless.
The film raises questions as to what constitutes relationships, how fragile they can be, how they are constantly tested, and how even seemingly doomed relationships run deep. There is also an irony throughout. Wong is saying that distance, illness, temporary separation, and recriminations aside, some relationships are destined to be. Bonus extras include three behind-the-scenes featurettes and an interview with Director of Photography Christopher Doyle. The remastered DVD's soundtrack is in Cantonese with optional English subtitles.