Happiness in Toxicity: A Happy Together Review & Analysis

As it exists, Wong Kar-wai’s film Happy Together stands as a necessary watch in an exploration of queer cinema. The film dives into the deteriorating relationship of Lai and Ho as they navigate toward the elusive Igazu Falls, ultimately getting lost along the way and being forced into different means to work and survive. Diving into themes of the toxicity of both individuals and relationships, defining happiness in relationships, the discovery of personal identity, and the impacts of isolation, Happy Together serves as a relationship study that causes the viewer to question the relationships they hold close in their lives and question what happiness truly can mean. While the film employs intentional cinematography, production design, and lighting usages, this review is going to specifically discuss the relationship between the two main
characters and what it can reveal about the film as a whole.

From the very beginning, the denial of toxicity is present when the request to “start over again” is offered by Ho to Lai. Despite the ebb and flow of their proximity, a need for companionship is present in the way the two operate in their world. Ho’s selfish and often self-benefiting tendencies often rear their head in the face of Lai’s overworking and isolationistic actions at times. The title of the film, Happy Together, appears as an idea of what the two should be versus
the reality of the situation. Almost like the fact that Lai and Ho are together should make them happy, or that companionship is supposed to result in happiness. That being said, what shows is that forcing a toxic relationship to work can result in a loss of identity and a separation from the happiness that is supposed to happen. In the face of this conflict and toxicity, there is still a level of care and intimacy that emanates between Lai and Ho, supporting the idea that damaged people are best understood by other damaged people.

Even in their deteriorating relationship, there are moments of joy and happiness, which manifest in moments like the two dancing together or caring for each other while the other is sick or injured. These moments of happiness are what create memories that Lai can latch onto. Happiness together can exist in the memories that are held between two people, while there was a lot of bad, there were also moments of good, and it is those memories that fulfill the title’s assertion. While the film explores the deterioration of a relationship, it also presents the resilience and lasting memories, and it beautifully highlights where happiness can stem from, even in the face of toxicity and negativity.

In all, Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together is a must-see film for anyone interested in different portrayals of queerness in film or the broader category of relationship films. While the pacing can slow at times and there are moments where attention and engagement may falter, the overall results from the film and the introspections it presents are well worth the watch, and that is why I would recommend this film be added to anyone’s watchlist.