Happiness (1998)

Directed by

Todd Solondz

Genre

drama film, comedy drama

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 14m

Rated

NC-17

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 948 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The film follows three sisters, their parents, and the people in their lives as they struggle with loneliness, desire, and hidden secrets. Each character deals with personal failures and disturbing impulses in everyday suburban settings.

darkly comicunsettlingbleakmelancholicslow-burnemotionally rawcerebraltroubling

What happens

Happiness is a 1998 American black comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Jane Adams, Elizabeth Ashley, Dylan Baker, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ben Gazzara, Jared Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Louise Lasser, Jon Lovitz, Camryn Manheim, Rufus Read, and Cynthia Stevenson. The film revolves around the lives of three sisters (Adams, Boyle, and Stevenson), their parents (Gazzara and Lasser), their lovers (Baker, Harris, and Lovitz), and others around them (Ashley, Hoffman, Manheim, and Read). The film was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for "its bold tracking of controversial contemporary themes, richly-layered subtext, and remarkable fluidity of visual style," and the cast received the National Board of Review award for Best Ensemble Cast. The film spawned the pseudosequel Life During Wartime, which premiered at the 2009 Venice Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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