‘Happy, Happy’ is a good, good film
There’s something quietly entrancing about the new Norwegian film, Happy, Happy. It features two married couples who lock themselves away from the outside world. They live in adjoining houses in the snowy countryside, and although the outside temperature is brisk, the inside temperature is stifling.
Kaja (Agnes Kittelsen) walks around with a perpetual smile on her face. This is a woman incapable of depression or heartbreak. She reminds me of Sally Hawkins’ character in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, a bright spot among a group of people living a dull existence.
She’s married to Eirik (Joachim Rafaelsen), a closeted gay man who’s a devoted father and somewhat supportive husband. He’s unable to satisfy his wife in the bedroom, but he’s always there as a pillar in her quest for eternal happiness. He looks the part of a loving husband, even though the reality is far different.
Kaja and Eirik have their lives turned upside down when Sigve (Henrik Rafaelsen, who looks like Liam Neeson’s brother) and Elisabeth (Maibritt Saerens) move into a nearby house with their adopted son, Noa (Ram Shihab Ebedy).
It doesn’t take long for Kaja and Sigve to consummate their attraction for each other, leaving Eirik and Elisabeth no other choice but retribution. After all the sex is complete, and the marriage vows thrown out the door, the couples realize that maybe they’ve made some mistakes.
If Happy, Happy were remade for American audiences, I’m sure Katherine Heigl or some other “It” girl would play Kaja, and the entire movie would become a sad romcom about sparring marital partners. As a Norwegian film, skillfully directed by Anne Sewitsky, the 88-minute movie is a gem. It relies on the chemistry (more like quantum physics) of its four main actors as they test each other’s boundaries, seeing how deep they should thrust their verbal daggers.
In many ways, the film is like watching a chess match among consenting adults. There’s always a feeling of love in the air, but where it originates and where it ultimately lands are indecipherable. It seems that true happiness is just out reach for Kaja and company; they are damned to be earthbound, forever reaching for satisfaction, but never achieving their goals.
Kittelsen shines among the fine cast, playing a woman whose smile soon becomes a defense mechanism. Kaya is so wanting of acceptance that she steps into many problematic situations, letting her emotions take her from one land mine to the next. She confuses infatuation and lust for love and longing, and her trek down the rabbit hole proves irreversible. These new neighbors have caused her to look in the mirror and assess her life: She needs to make a vital decision of whether to stay the course with Eirik, or branch off and salvage what’s left of her existence.
Happy, Happy is hijacked slightly by odd interludes that feature a group of four performers singing English-language hymns and ditties. They never serve a definitive purpose and feel more like quirky intrusions than helpful additions. Kaya, Eirik, Sigve and Elisabeth are far too fascinating to take the spotlight off their antics.
Writer Ragnhild Tronvoll has a unique way of writing simple dialogue that gets at the core of a married couple’s relationship. Sometimes it only takes a few words to cause the bloodiest wounds, and these four characters both know how to love and how to hurt.
Happy, Happy is a deceiving title. These couples haven’t reached catharsis yet. They have a long journey to go — but only if they make it out of this snowy countryside with their feelings and desires intact.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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Happy, Happy
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In Norwegian, with English subtitles
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2011
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Directed by Anne Sewitsky
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Written by Ragnhild Tronvoll
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Starring Agnes Kittelsen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Joachim Rafaelsen and Maibritt Saerens
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Running time: 88 minutes
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Rated R for sexual content including brief graphic nudity
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Magnolia Home Entertainment’s DVD release includes U.S. and international trailers
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Rating:
