Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai, 1997)
Definitely too fussy for my tastes. Though the rich colours are beautiful, so many of the flourishes just feel tedious to me – I can’t be the only one who thinks that slo-mo thing he often does is kind of hideous. There’s a stylish coolness to Wong Kar-wai that I find kind of corny. The relationship itself didn’t really compel me all that much either, at times I feel like the film coasted on Tony Leung’s wonderfully expressive and sympathetic face rather than developing much between the two leads, though I'm quite certain that's not how most feel. In addition to Tony Leung, who is wonderful to spend time with, what I really did like about the film is the feeling of isolation. The sense of being far from home and relying on a familiar bond regardless of how unhealthy it may be. The apartment is such a perfectly defined and confining space. The scenes where Lai is at work are also very good, not oppressive, but quietly sad.