Review: Happy Happy

Every time a movie from Scandinavia is released here in the States, I reliably want to open my review by stating that “only the Scandinavians could have come up with this one.” The region’s contemporary filmic language is distinctive like none other — usually a sardonic blend of comedy and drama, infused with equal parts whimsy and graveness. (Needless to say, they’ve changed direction since Bergman.) While Happy, Happy–Norway’s entry for the Foreign Film Oscar–is not nearly as dark as the work of Scandinavia’s most widely known modern auteur, Aki Kaurismäki, it exists on a similar wavelength. The protagonist is Kaja (Agnes Kittelsen), a woman who remains blindly positive despite a rather miserable rural existence, which is defined by her lifeless husband Eirik’s (Joachim Rafaelsen) refusal to have sex (little does she know, he’s gay). But when an even screwier couple from the city move in next door, things get interesting. Happy, Happy becomes a pastiche of human behavior — Kaja and new neighbor Sigve (Henrick Rafaelsen, no relation to Joachim) have an affair, Eirik struggles to come to terms with his identity in hilariously deadpan fashion, and their young boys manifest the drama in everyday shenanigans. The movie deliriously shifts tones from minute to minute, but never at a detriment to the characters, who undergo legitimate transformations and never feel inauthentically quirky. Things wouldn’t be complete without random musical interludes of American gospel songs performed by a Norwegian male quartet. Even if you don’t connect with Happy, Happy, you won’t be able to deny that it is one of the most unique films of the year, a much surer bet than the latest Hollywood offering.

* * *

Happy, Happy (2011, Norway). Produced by Synnøve Hørsdal. Directed by Anne Sewitsky. Written for the screen by Mette M. Bølstad (dramaturge) and Ragnhild Trovoll (screenplay). Starring Agnes Kittelsen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Joachim Rafaelsen, Maibritt Saerens, Oskar Hernæs Brandsø, Ram Shihab Ebedy, and Heine Totland. Distributed by Magnolia Pictures. Rated R, with a running time of 85 minutes.