Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together Sparked Chloé Zhao's Filmmaking Dreams
Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao reveals the Chinese romantic drama that inspired her career path, showing how international cinema influences cross-cultural storytelling in Hollywood.
Among today's filmmakers, Chloé Zhao stands out for her remarkable ability to capture stories across different cultures with extraordinary care and authenticity. The Chinese-born director first caught the independent film world's attention with her breakthrough work, The Rider, a modern western exploring rodeo culture in America's rural communities.
Her follow-up project, Nomadland, delivered a powerful look at America's traveling nomadic communities, earning Zhao both Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards. However, her career moves after this major win surprised many industry observers. She ventured into Marvel territory with Eternals and is currently developing a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar returning to her iconic character.
The Film That Changed Everything
While Eternals received mixed reactions and the Buffy project faces skepticism, Zhao has been working on her adaptation of the acclaimed novel Hamnet, which many consider a strong contender in this year's awards season. Despite her success in English-language cinema, her filmmaking journey began with inspiration from one of China's most celebrated directors.
Speaking with USA Today, Zhao identified the "film that made me want to make films" as Happy Together, Wong Kar-Wai's tragic romantic drama. While Wong's Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love often receive more recognition, Happy Together ranks among the 1990s' finest romantic dramas, showcasing incredible on-screen chemistry between Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai set against Wong's signature vibrant, color-saturated visual style.
Learning from a Master's Approach
Wong Kar-Wai has earned recognition as one of cinema's greatest living artists, developing a distinctive blend of naturalism and existentialism to explore deep human connections. Though his subject matter varies widely, his work maintains consistent emotional honesty that resonates across cultures.
While Zhao hasn't created Chinese dramas in Wong's exact style, she has adopted his commitment to authentic storytelling. Both The Rider and Nomadland gained attention for her decision to cast non-professional actors in supporting roles and as extras, creating more immersive and genuine experiences for audiences.
Authentic Filmmaking in Modern Hollywood
Even though Eternals disappointed many superhero fans, Zhao's insistence on shooting in real locations with practical sets distinguished her work from other Marvel projects that rely heavily on computer-generated environments, like The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The connection between Zhao's inspiration and her current work becomes most apparent in Hamnet, another melancholy romantic drama. The film follows young William Shakespeare, played by Paul Mescal, and his wife Agnes, portrayed by Jessie Buckley, as they cope with their son's death—an experience that ultimately inspires Shakespeare to write Hamlet. Though critics have mixed reactions to the film's minimalist, impressionistic style, viewers familiar with Happy Together will recognize similar artistic choices, demonstrating how personal inspiration translates into creative expression.