Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together (The New Hong Kong Cinema)

Don't remember much about this book.

Finally, there is a book - not a chapter or paragraph - solely one of the Wong Kar Wai's movie. This time, HKU Press has done a fascinating job in publishing an in-depth study on Wong's Ashes of Time and Happy Together. Jeremy Tambling is an expert in gender studies. In the book, he analyzes the film by using theories of allgeory. Besides, he also reads the film in relation to homosexuality (as expected), Hong Kong's postcolonial situation, melancholy, the American road movie genre, the meaning and tradition of tango and he also suggests the impact of choosing Buenos Aires as the setting of the movie. Tambling has included interesting and impressive perspectives of reading a movie, which brought Wong Kar Wai a best director award in Berlin Film Festival.You may not buy Tambling's arguments on reading the movie as you may say the author has over-interpreted it. However, what he has done in the book definitely enriches the genre of Hong Kong Cinema criticism.

Wong Kar-wai's "Happy Together", which won some international films awards, is one of the best Hong Kong movies of recent years.Jeremy Tambling here probes the film in depth an provides lots of interesting insights on the film, as well as the many possible interpretations of the plot as well as the relationship between the protagonists. In fact, Tambling goes deeper to explore the political and social undertones that the movie represents. It is therefore essential reader both for film buffs as well as those who're interested in social sciences. I enjoyed reading it very much!

A WWK fan should not be without this. A great read for fans and experts alike. Used it as source material for my MA dissertation.