The Happy Movie (2016)

Directed by: Hillman Curtis, Ben Nabors, Stefan Sagmeister | 95 minutes | documentary | Starring: Stefan Sagmeister, Jonathan Haidt, Sheenah Hankin, Ben Nabors, Jessica Walsh

Luck. Almost everyone strives for it, it is researched, it is studied, it is often desired and the people in your environment who call themselves perfectly happy can be counted on one hand. What is ‘being happy’ anyway and how do you become it? Graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister receives a lot of recognition for his work, but is not yet very successful in love. After the break-up of his eleven-year relationship, he is at a point in his life when he wonders if his happiness in life could not be boosted a little. He knows there are roughly three ways to become happier and decides to give himself a year to try all three. At the same time, he will have these experiments recorded on film, which resulted, after years, in this documentary, ‘The Happy Film’.

The first method is transcendental meditation. Stefan then tries to ‘think happier’ through therapy and finally takes Lexapro. The effects are very different. Although the original intention was to complete the project in a year (three months per experiment), things unexpectedly happened in Stefan’s life, which ultimately took many years before ‘The Happy Film’ was completed. Love and death put this interesting project on pause several times and that especially offers recognition in this artistic, but also reflective film. Because your life and your happiness simply cannot be planned.

Of course Stefan is an eccentric, who probably comes across as spoiled and elitist to the average movie viewer. Someone who on the outside doesn’t seem to have anything to complain about, but likes to put himself in the center of attention… you just have to see through it, because if you read between the lines, you see a vulnerable man who with the best intentions has embarked on this quest. undergoes. And although – as you might expect – there is no conclusive answer to the central question ‘can a person train himself to become happier?’ ‘The Happy Film’ is at the very least inspiring and secretly quite an eye-opener. Visually, the film is often passable, and this is where Stefan’s graphic background pays off. The brilliant creative ideas splash off the screen and for that reason alone ‘The Happy Film’ is worth watching. Is this a movie you would normally never watch? One of the tips to become happier in the movie is ‘step out of your comfort zone’. Watching ‘The Happy Film’ is a good first step.