Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The Making of Happy Together (1999)

"I gradually lost my sense of time"

Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The Making of Happy Together was an interesting if overly long documentary. There were tantalizing “what could have been” storylines and deleted scenes. The film was directed by Amos Lee and Kwan Pung Leung attempting Wong Kar Wai’s style.

*What worked for me:

The early clips of Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Leslie Cheung practicing the dance scenes made me want to watch the film all over again. Their intensity, even in rehearsal, was mesmerizing. When the documentary focused on these two whether in outtakes, deleted scenes, or rehearsals, just like the film, you can't take your eyes off them.

There were snippets of interviews with Tony. He told of his desperate homesickness while they were stuck in Argentina hanging out when Leslie had to return to Hong Kong for his concerts. The six-week Argentina film shoot turned into four months putting pressure on everyone. Tony wondered if Wong had done it purposefully to drive them to the edge for the film.

Wong Kar Wai only knew he wanted to tell the story of Ho Po Wing and Lai Yiu Fai in Argentina and little else upon their arrival on the other side of the world. He proffered several story concepts, including Leslie playing both characters and dressing in drag among other ideas. Deleted scenes were shown and a much different ending was discussed. Crew members gave a tour of the various locations used in the film and told of the troubles they encountered.

*What didn’t work as well:

Initially, the interviews with crew members were insightful, but then it faltered as fewer compelling stories were shared. The last third of the film lapsed into a musical montage featuring supporting characters and their story possibilities.

The shaky, out of focus camera style was more annoying than intriguing.

*Was it worth watching?

Yes, with caveats. The first half of the documentary was well worth watching to hear how the director cobbled the story together and abandoned creative conceptions that would have carried the story in very different directions. As much as I loved the film Happy Together, the narrative was thin. Tony and Leslie made the film as they threw themselves into their roles. As their presence dissipated from the screen in the documentary, it quickly ran out of steam. Would recommend for anyone who has not read about the difficulties in making the film, but otherwise it was skippable. (7.25 bumped up to 7.5 only for the scenes of Tony and Leslie burning up the screen with their amazing chemistry and presence, even in short clips)

“…in a land of zero degree, with neither east nor west,
has neither day nor night, which is neither cold nor warm,
I learned the feeling of exile.”
-Wong Kar Wai

30 May 2026

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Un bon Wong Kar Wai.

Happy Together, titre bien ironique au vu de ce qui se passe dans le film, nous plonge dans la relation toxique qu'entretiennent, presque malgré eux, Lai Yiu-Fai et Ho Po-Wing.

La façon qu'a Wong Kar Wai, grand réalisateur, de tourner des scènes en noir et blanc, nous montre l'histoire comme quelque chose de distant, voire de nostalgique, tout en insistant de par ce fait sur la beauté des paysages argentins.

Le film nous parle d'exil, d'errance, thèmes chers aux yeux de notre réalisateur qu'il réussit à intégrer autant dans l'histoire générale que dans la relation houleuse et émiettée qui unit malheureusement nos deux héros.

On ressent fortement le sentiment de perte qu'éprouve Yiu-Fai après sa rupture, abandonné dans un pays étranger sans pouvoir revenir dans le sien, ni savoir quoi faire de sa propre vie. Puis, ils se retrouvent, et retour de la couleur dans le bouillonnement de leurs disputes, teintées des dernières miettes de sentiments qu'ils éprouvent l'un pour l'autre. Sentiments qui auraient pu les faire retomber dans cette relation toxique si Yiu-Fai, que je commençais à trouver trop pathétique, n'avait rencontré Chang qui lui ouvrira les yeux sur sa relation.

Par la suite, on prend conscience, tout comme Yiu-Fai, du désir de revenir chez soi et de tout faire et tout laisser pour y arriver. En définitive, le film nous montre des personnes voulant partir de leur pays pour aller dans un endroit qui sera diamétralement opposé a celui-ci mais, au bout du compte, ils veulent y revenir après avoir changé et grandi.

Seule ombre au tableau : j'aurai aimé un développement plus abouti de la relation entre Yiu-Fai et Chang, mais celle-ci ne sera que dans mon imagination avec la scène de fin ouverte que nous offre le film.

Bilan : ce film est très intéressant à voir et on y retrouve bien la patte artistique de Wong Kar Wai pour ceux qui apprécient son travail. Je recommande assurément.

Maintenant, à vous de vous faire votre avis.

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