The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai Happy Together

  • Cinema
  • Playhouse
  • Run time – 96 minutes
  • Seating map

One of the most haunting and visually iconic queer films ever made

Hong Kong | 1997 | Cantonese language with Chinese and English subtitles | Romance/Drama | M

One of the most searing romances of the 1990s, Wong Kar Wai’s emotionally raw, lushly stylized portrait of a relationship in breakdown casts Hong Kong superstars Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung as a couple locked in a turbulent cycle of infatuation and destructive jealousy.

Setting out to depict the dynamics of a queer relationship with empathy and complexity on the cusp of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong — when the country’s LGBT community suddenly faced an uncertain future—Wong crafts a feverish look at the life cycle of a love affair that’s by turns devastating and deliriously romantic.

Shot by ace cinematographer Christopher Doyle in both luminous monochrome and luscious saturated color, Happy Together is an intoxicating exploration of displacement and desire that swoons with the ache and exhilaration of love at its heart-tearing extremes.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

Stylistically brash, young at heart and pulsing with life.

The New York Times

Credits

Wong Kar Wai
Director

Christopher Doyle
Cinematographer

Cast

Leslie Cheung
as Ho Po-Wing

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai
as Lai Yiu-Fai

Chang Chen
as Chang

You may also like

The Shining

31 Oct 2025

United States | 1980 | English | Horror, Mystery Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall star in Kubrick's disturbing adaptation of Stephen King's blockbuster horror novel. Celebrating its 45th anniversary, this special Halloween screening features the original U.S. theatrical cut (aka the Extended Version) in a stunning 4k restoration.

  • Cinema

Saturday Film Club: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

1 Nov 2025

United States l 1992 l English l Horror/Romance Join us for the next in our regular Saturday Film Club screenings, pairing a contemporary classic with an in-depth discussion featuring Alexei Toliopoulos and special guests. Step inside the shadows as Francis Ford Coppola’s acclaimed vision of Dracula is brought to life with an all-star cast led by Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves.

  • Cinema

As Tears Go By

31 Oct 2025

Hong Kong | 1995 | Cantonese language with Chinese and English subtitles | Action/Drama/Romance | R18+ Wong Kar Wai’s scintillating debut feature is a kinetic, hyper-cool crime thriller graced with flashes of the impressionistic, daydream visual style for which he would become renowned.

  • Cinema

Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Playhouse

The Playhouse is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

Checking availability