So Very Happy Together

Once the beauty and longing of Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's films get their hooks into you, it's difficult to break free. And really, who would want to? Gothamist knows we're a willing captive to his emotionally distant characters, sumptuous settings and deliberate pacing.

For the last week, Anthology Film Archives in the East Village has been screening a series of Wong's work in "6 x Wong Kar Wai," a partial retrospective. If you fell for the 2000 feature In The Mood For Love, might we recommend falling head over heels in l-o-v-e for his earlier project, Happy Together (1997)? Also starring Tony Leung from Mood and the recently passed Hong Kong superstar Leslie Cheung, Wong follows the disintegrating love affair between two men in Buenos Aires. Gut wrenching in one frame but buoyant in another, Happy Together is the sort of movie that makes you thrilled with the medium again. The program will also include an hour long making of documentary, Buenos Aires Zero Degrees. The screening begins at 9 pm. In the Mood For Love also plays tonight, at 7 pm.

By the way, tantalizing but choppy clips for Wong's newest film 2046 which played at this year's Cannes Film Festival here or peruse Lossless's list of leaked video footage appearing on the web. Tony Leung with a pencil moustache? Plus a cast including Maggie Cheung, Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi and Faye Wong? It's much too exciting for words.