Underplayed Gems

On Happiness Road (2018)

On Happiness Road poster
Original title
幸福路上
Directed by
Sung Hsin-Yin
Genre
drama film
Country
Taiwan
Runtime
1h 50m
Rated
G
Rating
7.0 of 10 from 34 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

A woman returns to her childhood neighborhood in Taipei and reflects on her past, dreams, and the people who shaped her. The story alternates between her adult life and her memories of growing up on Happiness Road.

introspectivebittersweetnostalgicthoughtfulgentlereflectivecoming-of-ageslice-of-life

What happens

On Happiness Road is a 2017 Taiwanese animated film written and directed by Sung Hsin-yin, her directoral debut. The film is based on her own animated short of the same name which won start-up funding at the Golden Horse Awards in 2013. It was screened at the Busan International Film Festival on October 15, 2017, and saw a theatrical release in Taiwan on January 5, 2018. The film has won numerous awards, including Best Feature Film during the 2018 Tokyo Anime Award Festival, Best Animation Feature at the 2018 Golden Horse Awards, as well as Grand Prize, Best Animation, and Audience Choice Award at the 2018 Taipei Film Festival, and was also submitted for nomination to the 2018 Academy Awards in the Animated Feature Film category. The theme song under the same title was sung by pop star Jolin Tsai. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.