Happiness - The clue isn’t in the title

I’ve always enjoyed ‘Happiness,’ despite asking myself WHY I ever bothered to watch it after every single viewing.  Yes, the title is deliberately ironic as there is barely a trace of anything vaguely happy in the entire mover, but then it knows that.  It’s safe to say that ‘Happiness’ is definitely not a ‘feel-good’ film and you really do need to know what you’re in for before you sit down to invest over two hours with this manic depressive beast of a movie.

I suppose you could call it an ‘ensemble’ piece as there are numerous characters all woven together around the three central characters who are sisters all at various stages of adulthood and doing their best to either live with what’s become their lot in life, or desperately try to change it.  It’s basically a family drama, but with a few – very – dark helpings of black humour.  However, the overriding thing to say about ‘Happiness’ is that it deals with the worst themes you can probably think of and presents them in a way that forces you to think about those who it’s easy to despise without a second thought.  Therefore, you don’t just have to be in the mood for something depressing, but also something that really goes into areas of human nature that you would probably not like to dwell on, most notably child abuse.

‘Happiness’ is a film that will certainly leave an impact on you, even if it’s just you swearing you will never watch something like that again.  However, for all the darkness and realism it presents, I have watched it about three times and I think it’s a worthy film.  The performances are all excellent.  You’d be hard put to it to find a weak link among the cast.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman is naturally excellent, but perhaps the hardest role falls to Dylan Baker who plays possibly one of the most (bizarrely!) relatable child molesters you’ve ever met.  It must have been a horrible role for him and he plays it to perfection.

Like I say, don’t expect feel-good and get ready for a rough ride.  But, if you’re in the mood for something as deep as this it will certainly make you wonder who’s sitting opposite you and what goes on behind the façade of family-friendly life.

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather