Happiness

Veteran cinematic innovator Sabu weaves an ethereal and intriguingly esoteric meditation on emotion, memory, loss and revenge. Nagase Masatoshi stars as the enigmatic Kanzaki, who strolls into a somber little town with a mad-scientist-like device under his arm: a helmet anointed with electronic protrusions. He invites an elderly shopkeeper to try the machine, which awakens in her a long-forgotten memory of unmatched happiness, and cures her of the melancholy she endured for years. Soon folks are lining up to try out this magical invention. However, it is unclear what Kanzaki is doing this for. Eventually it emerges that the inventor has a dark and very personal agenda set on course by his own lost happiness. While reminiscent at times of works by his fellow countrymen Kore-eda Hirokazu and Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Sabu’s tale is wholly original and provocatively strange, illuminating the malaise of suppressed emotions and frustrations that plague modern society. (Synopsis from New York Asian Film Festival)

『ハピネス』
Film Festivals (selected): New York Asian Film Festival, Nippon Connection
Available to stream on (subject to change): n/a