Film: Happy Together (Wong Kar-Wai)
Quick Film Summary: Happy Together mainly shows homosexual love relationship between Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai. They expect to have a new beginning, so they left Hong Kong and come to Argentina. However, in Argentina, they are lost again and again in this bustling and gorgeous city. Finally, Lai Yiu-Fai broken up with Ho Po-Wing, and comes back alone to Hong Kong.
The time of the scene, which I will analyze, is during 01:23:08 to 01:25:56. After Lai Yiu-Fai left, Ho po-Wing come back to the apartment they had lived. He clearly wipes the floor, and fixes the light. He opens the door expecting Fai coming back. Finally, he loses control and cries loudly with the blanket in his arms.
Shot List:
- Hand-held shot, following with Ho Po-Wing, and gradually change to medium shot.
- Medium C/U for Ho Po-Wing.
- Hand-held shot, Following with Ho Po-Wing ‘s movement, and gradually change to medium shot.
- Long shot of Ho Po-Wing wiping floor. (High angel)
- Hand-held shot, following with Ho Po-Wing, he walking to the chair beside the door, and keep wipe floor.
- Long shot of Ho Po-Wing wiping floor.
- Long shot of Ho Po-Wing sitting on the chair.
- Medium shot of Ho Po-Wing opening the door.
- Medium shot of Ho Po-Wing fixing the light.
- Long shot of Ho Po-Wing fixing the light.
- Hand-Held shot of Ho Po-Wing looking at the light, and slowly close the light.
- C/U shot of light in different perspective.
- Extreme C/U shot of the picture on the light.
- Crane shot gradually close to the door, using canted level and low angle.
- Long shot of Ho Po-Wing holding the blanket.
- Hand-held shot of Ho Po-Wing crying, and slowly zoom in, show the medium shot, the tilt down which following with Ho Po-Wing’s body movement.
Analysis: In this scene, director use mobile framing to increase the information about space. From the shot list, we will realize that there are many hand-held shots used in this scene. In fact, not only in this scene, but also in this whole film, we can find the large usage of hand-held shot. In my perspective, I think this is a part of Wong Kar-Wai’s film style. He like to create the marginalized role who wander in his world, they are easy feel lonely, they are really need emotional confront. such as the role in Chung King Express and In the Mood of Love. So hand-held shot may show their feeling in a better way, because this shot create the senses of anxious or emotional movement rather than smooth change. Such as shot1 to shot no.3, the camera continually shows that Ho Po-Wing put the cigarette on the table and cabinet. Firstly, the camera focus on the cigarette on the table, then it move to Ho Po-Wing’s face, next it following with Ho Po-Wing move to the cabinet, This whole shot is totally same with what Lai Yiu-Fai did in the previous plot. We can feel Ho Po-Wing’s regretted and gloomy, unpeaceful emotion through the unsmooth movement that hand-held shot have.
The long shot (no.4) and hand-held shot (no.5) both shows that Ho Po-Wing wipes the floor. The shot4 use a high angel to film, this angel emphasize the lonely and frail impression of Ho Po-Wing. I think the movement from hand-held shot (no.5) to the long shot (no.6) and long shot (no.7) is quilt interesting. In the no.5 shot, Ho Po-Wing walk towards to the chair beside the door, and keep wipe the floor. This shot mainly emphasize the details of Ho Po-Wing’s gesture, then the camera immediately draws back to show a long shot of a same gesture. The usage of these shots are aim to show the clue and the development of the plot in larger context. Therefore, in the long shot (no.7) Ho Po-Wing stop wiping the floor to sit on chair. Next, the shot change to medium one (no.8), Ho Po-Wing sit on the chair, then open the door beside him, and look at outside meantime. This medium shot insure viewers are able to clearly see his face expression, also, feel his miss for Lai Yiu-Fai. In fact, I think the shot no.4 to shot no.8 seem as a sequence, all the different shots are repeatedly link characters with details of their environment. Leading viewers to see it in a continuous way.
From the no.9 shot to no.13 shot, the viewer’s attention attracted by the light. This light is a significant proof in this whole film, it represents the love between the two protagonists. The C/U shot (no.12) uses a different perspective with the shot11. Also, this shot tightly connect with the next shot. Because, from the perspective used in shot no.12, viewers can see Ho Po-Wing slowly turn the light to other side, in which have a picture. Immediately, The shot no.13 shows the extreme close up of the picture, which has a two people sit together to see the waterfall. This picture represents Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai, however, finally, they are still haven’t see waterfall together. So this extreme C/U shot emphasize the regretted and sorrowful emotion of Ho Po-Wing.
The shot no.14 is so fantastic and artistic. Director use canted level to film, and the camera slowly close to the door in this level. It gives viewers a felling of dizzy, and creates disruptive effects. In my perspective, I feel that this shot visualize the depressed, disordered and complicated felling of Ho Po-Wing. In fact, this type of shot usually has been used in Wong Kar-Wai’s film. Such as the film names Fallen Angels. He likes to reelect the mind world of character through this artistic and visualized way.