"Let's Start Over"

...thus goes what I consider the most memorable line in Wong Kar-wai's Happy Together.

Happy Together
Directed by Wong Kar-wai, cinematography by Christopher Doyle, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Leslie Cheung, and Chang Chen.

Happy Together opens with a voice-over from Lai Yiu-fai (Tony Leung) describing the crux of his and Ho Po-wing's (Leslie Cheung) relationship. The two have spent years together and apart, and anytime things get tough within or without their relationship, Ho Po-wing simply says "Let's Start Over" and Lai Yiu-fai succumbs to his request. At the start of the film, the two are again at such a point in their relationship, and decided to leave Hong Kong for South American, to start over.

Once they reach what is quite literally the opposite side of the world, their problems grow greater. As Fai tries to make the best of the situation, Wing only works to make matters worse, and the two find themselves unhappy and apart. Their paths cross again and again, with Po-wing uttering the words that Fai is all but unable to fight against. However, as Fai struggles to deal with Wing, he befriends a co-worker (Chang Chen) who begins to make him think he could find happiness on his own.

With all the cinematic flourish one would expect from a Wong Kar-wai film, Happy Together shows the inner turmoil of two peoples' unhappiness. Furtive glances, along with Christopher Doyle's use of vibrant colors and black & white, underline the tension and sadness of the characters. If I make Happy Together sound anything but what the title would suggest, then I've done my job well. Wong's romantic drama isn't like a romantic drama that would star Reese Witherspoon or Jake Gyllenhaal and feature a Hollywood ending.

Happy Together is heart-wrenching and depressing. More than that, it is an incredibly beautiful film that doesn't pander or offer comment on relationships or happiness. It simply tells, in a way no other filmmaker could, the story of two unhappy people and their attempts to become happy together. It's also one of the greatest film ever made. Ever.