The Happy Film

A strange documentary shot over seven years, The Happy Film is a rambling experiment by brilliant designer and artist Stefan Sagmeister. With a gallery show ahead of him focused on the subject of happiness, Sagmeister decides to make a film through which “happiness,” or rather the lack of it, can be demonstrated to be a design problem. He literally charts connections between various elements of living, looking for ways that those links can be re-jiggered for a stronger, more appealing outcome—as if he were re-doing an image for one of the Grammy-winning album covers that are a staple of his company (Sagmeister & Walsh). Along the way, he adds zip through dazzling visual concepts that are fired up by his considerable talent as a graphic artist. But over time this abstract, calculated approach to such a profound, warm-blooded topic as human happiness falls short, prompting him to dig deeper into his own conflicts over attaining joy. Seeing a succession of therapists, taking an antidepressant, and entering into (then falling out of) a couple of relationships with women are all part of Sagmeister's crooked path towards finally understanding that happiness is tied to believing in and being part of something bigger than oneself. Unfortunately, Sagmeister is not the most charismatic presence, and many viewers will find their patience tapped during the drawn-out chapters concerning his love life. Optional. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)