Film - Happy, Happy
In winter, some people go for a cruise. Others disappear to Europe in search of heat or culture. But travel is not for everyone and cash flow has a talent for stopping people in their tracks. Some Wellingtonians, however, have discovered an alternative method of escape. The cheapest shot of global culture without forgoing the flat white. Their prescription? Two weeks off work and a liberal dose of the New Zealand International Film Festival.
And who can blame them; with 2011 heralding Wellington’s 40th annual festival there is much to celebrate. From humble beginnings (just nine films in 1972), we can all now look forward to a programme packed with over 150 movies in just 17 days: a veritable smorgasbord to be picked at or gorged upon.
As it happens, FishHead is now a sponsor of the festival too – you can find us at screenings of Happy, Happy (Sat 30 July, Tues 2 Aug, Sat 6 Aug). This quirky little Scandinavian film (is there any other kind?) is a study of marriage and its challenges, set amongst the snow and isolation of rural Norway.
Two couples are thrust together when Sigve and Elizabeth arrive from the city with their adopted Ethiopian son, Noa. Received into the over-zealous embrace of Kaja (a wonderfully wide-eyed Agnes Kittelsen) and her forlorn husband Eirik, what follows is the tragic-comic unravelling and re-tying of threadbare relationships. With its themes of sexuality, emotional worth and even slavery, and hilarious bursts of a cappella singing, Happy, Happy is an occasionally flawed but honest and charming directorial debut that promises much to come from Anne Sewitsky. Rather like FishHead we like to hope.
Away from the Norwegian cold, condensing the whole programme to a list of must-sees for others seems futile – the best strategy is to do a little study and see where the films take you. Having said that, I will not be missing The Kid with a Bike, a Belgian/French production channelling the spirit of Truffaut through 11 year-old Thomas Doret, The Trip, an edited version of one of the best comedy series of recent years starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, and Planet Kirsan, a documentary combining two of my early loves, chess and former Soviet Republics. Finally, the restored print of La Dolce Vita is must for those still unfamiliar with Fellini’s seminal work.
But whatever you want to see at the New Zealand International Film Festival this year, make sure you actually get there. Too many people, myself included, prepare diligently then suffer the regret of missed opportunity and misplaced good intention. Stay Happy, Happy this winter.
Genre: Drama
Directed by: Anne Sewitsky
Starring: Agnes Kittelsen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Joachim Rafaelsen
Origin: Norway
Running Time: 80 minutes
Score: 3.5 out of 5