Review of Happiness (1998)

Happiness(1998) explores the pretense of the optimistic existence all human beings yearn or think they will achieve if they pursue it hard enough. All the characters in this film are trapped and unaccompanied or as Bill Maplewood the pedophile psychiatrist puts it “we're all alone”. However, at the same time they are all connected skilfully in this photograph of separation, the poster really captures the essence of this. The ensemble cast is one of the best I've ever seen, with some of the most unconventional thespians in Hollywood who come together to deliver a delicious depiction of the derelict condition of happiness. Definitely a must see if your on a dreadful movie run or in demand of any self inspection, because what this film really does is to entertain the notion that we are all these characters, we all have strands of repulsion inside but some of us just know how to suppress said strands. Happiness manages to blend the emotions of disgust, empathy, kinship and humor all in one, a dark comedy at its finest. I couldn't help but to burst out in laughter when one of the characters declared herself, “really happy”, because her inclination to hide her pain was so relatable, no one in this movie/world genuinely cares about another person's anguish. 8/10