This is a very subjective review, very. How subjective is it? I don't think it's too embarrassing to call it a "film review", so let's just call it "after watching". So I respect all the voices that disagree with me, and I hope everyone understands that this is just my personal opinion on a certain point in the whole movie, and it cannot cover everything.
The "end" here refers to the end of the movie, that is, the part where the ending song Happy Together sounds to the credits - the end of the whole film, not the "end" of the story.
Why do you say that the ending of "Happy Birthday" is the best ending Wong Kar-wai has ever filmed?
Actually, I haven't seen many Wong Kar Wai movies, not many. Let me give a few examples for comparison. I can't think of any of them, but I still think that personal factors account for more.
To talk about the ending, let’s talk about the whole film first. There is one factor worth noting in this film, which is the "feeling of being in a foreign land" or "feeling of being in a foreign land" (the language teacher is going to scold me for coining words again).
Two or three leading actors are all Chinese. How does the film express this sense of foreign land?
In addition to the occasional Argentine extras, the occasional foreign language of the main actors, streets that seem to be obviously Western society, etc. (you don't need me to tell you these things), it is also very important that all the soundtracks in the film are either Pure music is either in English and mostly culturally specific (dance music). Music is a very, very, very important part of a movie, because music is not visible like dialogue, performances, scenes, lighting, etc. The soundtrack always subtly affects the audience. If you don't believe me, you can go back and see how many soundtracks there are in "Happy Together" and how many times each song is repeated.
It was the soundtrack of the movie that hypnotized us, allowing us to experience the almost dependent emotions of Li Yaohui and He Baorong in a foreign land, their extra loneliness when they were separated, Xiao Zhang's feeling of not wanting to go home, and Li Yaohui's line "I met him by chance this time. I don't want to start over with him, I just want to go back to Hong Kong."
Of course, there is also the most important thing, which I hope to talk about here, that Li Yaohui is in a state of rebirth after returning to Hong Kong.
It is said that when the crew was filming in Argentina, due to various reasons, the schedule was delayed for a long time, far exceeding the original plan. The sunglasses were afraid that the crew would steal everyone's passports due to incompatibility and other reasons. . The older brother was also infected with amoeba bacteria and had diarrhea every day. . And don't forget that "Happy Birthday" was released in 1997. Even if you go to a small country like Argentina now, you feel a little nervous, let alone at that time.
These circumstances were mixed together, presumably everyone in the crew at that time was looking forward to finishing the film and going home as soon as possible, and the director of sunglasses was probably no exception. I guess that's why, at the end of the film, when Lai Yiuhui returned to Hong Kong, the rhythm suddenly changed so much, and it was so moving. Because this is simply a show of true feelings, not a movie plot.
As for the optimistic and pessimistic ending, whether the story is happy or sad, I don't really want to make a comment. I guess Wong Kar-wai didn't plan to die, and the ending is a happy reunion or a regret. .
Because from the perspective of the two protagonists alone, the ending is completely different. Li Yaohui is going home, what about He Baorong? When can I go home? Li Yaohui finally came to the waterfall, but He Baorong probably won't go. Li Yaohui found Xiao Zhang's home, and He Baorong couldn't wait to return to Li Yaohui. .
Damn it, I'm going to cry,
you see, doesn't it seem like it's a tragic ending? If we take the emotions of the two as the main line of the movie, then this ending can only be regarded as: the two finally separated, Li Yaohui finally lived passively, He Baorong only cherished the blablablah when he lost it,
but the last 60 seconds of "Breakthrough" is more than enough So simple.
Finally got to this song.
The song at the end of the film is called "Happy Together", which is also the English name of the movie. It is a song on the album of the same name released by The Turtles in 1967. It is an old times favourite,
so when I always see someone commenting that "The English name of "Chun Guang Xia Xie" is far worse than the Chinese name, it can be seen that the Chinese characters are extensive and profound." Also quite uncomfortable.
Although I also feel that Chinese characters are broad and profound, English is far behind. .
Far too far, in fact, what I want to say is that since the English name of the film borrows the name of this song, the only place where this song is used in the film (the end of the last minute) should also have a lot of weight in the heart of the sunglasses. of.
It's a cheerful song, it must be admitted, and that's why the ending of "Happy Birthday" gives the illusion of optimism and hope.
Literally speaking, happy together ostensibly refers to the relationship between Li Yaohui and He Baorong (although most of the time it is mutual abuse, not happy), but it actually refers to everyone who is in love, even those who are outside of him ( A state that a single dog) wants to achieve.
This state, I won't say it, you will understand, not only happy, but also together (I'm really talking nonsense more and more).
I have read a lot of film reviews, some of which are particularly interesting, saying that "Happy Birthday" actually expresses a stage that everyone needs to go through in their growth, say goodbye to things that are no longer important to you but reluctant to part, and continue to walk your own way. In the film, Li Yaohui, He Baorong, and Xiao Zhang are all images. Everyone is Li Yaohui, everyone has a He Baorong, and everyone needs to find their own Xiao Zhang. .
Of course I don't think it's necessary to "image" everything in order to express a point of view or a state. Stories can also make sense and can be easily empathized with, right? So don't worry about whether this movie or that novel is telling their story or a big truth, what you understand is what you understand.
Therefore, the "state" of happy together can be a pure perfect relationship between lovers or friends, or it can refer to a height in one's heart or an ability to be oneself.
The way of presentation in this film is that Li Yaohui returned to Hong Kong to "resurrection with blood".
I guess some people will question me, and I haven't seen Li Yaohui resurrected with blood. .
That's because this is Tony Leung! (It's not intentional to be a black male god!)
Tony Leung's acting skills are very delicate. If you don't watch it again and again, you will have no idea where you got it from "This person is happy now" "This person is unhappy now" "This person is now very sad” message. .
If you look closely at the end of the film, when Lai Yaohui is sitting at the front of the MRT, he flashes a close-up shot, and you will find that he is grinning slightly, but from this moment you can see that he is really happy.
Looking back at his part-time work experience in Argentina where he saved money and returned home, he never laughed at all. Moreover, I can see from my own comparison that the state of Li Yaohui is completely different in Argentina and when he returned to China.
In Argentina, he was dragged by He Baorong, by a job he didn't like, and by the inexplicable loneliness in a foreign land. . So after returning to Hong Kong, this short one-minute "chaotic" clip shows the ability to "do anything", "don't be afraid of anything" and "have everything".
It is this "ability" that particularly impressed me and prompted me to write this review.
Because the Nth time I watched this movie, it was a coincidence that I watched it at a non-profit queer film festival in Glasgow. At that time, I had come to Glasgow to study for half a year. Although I also returned to China, the time I stayed was very short. The study abroad party understands what I'm talking about, it's the kind of helplessness that wants to get in but can't get in + the complex emotions mixed with homesickness every moment, every minute, every second, that kind of "can't do anything" "what Don't dare to do anything." The feeling of "nothing."
At that time, because I had watched this film so many times, I didn't cry in many moving parts, but at the end of the last credits, tears came down when I saw the flash of "Zhongxiao Revival". I've only been to Taiwan once to play, and probably never got off at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. . But it's the "feeling of a foreign land" that makes you want to cry when you see the words in squares, do you understand?
One can imagine how people who live in Taipei will feel when they see it.
One can imagine how Li Yaohui felt when he finally returned home.
That's why I said at the beginning that this is a very subjective review because it's based entirely on my own experience.
Fortunately, most people have had mixed feelings in a foreign land.
Finally, let's talk about some of the more powerful endings.
Anyone who knows a little bit about film editing understands that it is not enough to have a good soundtrack and good material. Happy Together is a very rhythmic song that can easily express some rare emotions, but at the same time it is not so well edited. However, in the last minute, Wong Kar Wai only used some fragmented street scenes and moving shots to perfectly combine with this song. Every frame is pressed on the beat, which makes people watch, admire, and cool.
Another point is Wong Kar Wai's lighting.
I won't comment on the color tone and lighting of the whole film, I probably won't be able to finish it in a book. . However, it is still a close-up shot of Li Yaohui at the front of the MRT. If you look closely, you will find that there are constant flashes between several of his similar facial expressions, similar to the avant-garde flashback technique (but it is a continuation here). When I first noticed it, I thought it was a technique added by the editor to render the atmosphere, but later I found out that it was just the "natural light" generated by the shape of the windows when the neon lights outside entered the MRT carriage, not the editing. tricks, and then I'm totally stupid.
Yes, Wong Kar Wai is so arrogant. Others are still chasing "natural lighting", and he is already engaging in "natural lighting effects".
Another:
a very interesting point I want to share with you. When I played back the end of the movie repeatedly, I found that a shouted word suddenly appeared in this version of the song near the end. After repeated listening, repeated research, and repeated thinking, I deduced that the two shouted words were both. It is "King! Home! Wei!"
I hope someone who has heard it and is more certain can tell me. .
Off-topic 1: I
have always been reluctant to write reviews for Wong Kar Wai's films, for fear that I may not fully understand and say the wrong thing.
I've also been reluctant to write reviews for my brother's films, because I like it so much that I'm afraid it won't be objective.
But then I thought about it. When writing a film review, it is enough to have what you want to say, and it is enough to have feelings. If the feelings are real, the film review will be flesh and blood.
Off-topic 2:
I found out that the last set of shots was shot in Taipei instead of Hong Kong after I wrote it, but I am too lazy to change it, it should not affect my expression.
Off-topic three:
Many people commented that this film brother was cheated and played an unpopular role, especially with Tony Leung's role as a foil. However, I personally think that the character He Baorong is more attractive, not referring to his "wizard" charm, but a life attitude of "I don't care" and "I live happily". In the film, He Baorong and Li Yaohui should be on an equal footing. The way they found in Argentina was not very good, nor was it good for each other (Li Yaohui is still under house arrest! House arrest!). I have to say what's wrong with He Baorong, probably our big shooters are like this~~
just sauce
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