Photo Credit: https://filmmovement.com/educational/film/happyend
I doubt that audiences will see another film this year quite as beautiful as Neo Sora’s poignant coming-of-age drama, Happyend.
Set in the Tokyo of the near-future—which, like most cinematic near-futures, is far too similar to our present—Happyend follows the exploits of a high school friend group, who must navigate a world of surveillance and xenophobia following the election of a far-right mayor.
Sora’s film is one of the best first features in years, with the director crafting a timely and moving film that filmmakers far more established than him would spend their entire careers attempting to create. His visuals are perfect, creating magnificent images out of both the earnestness of youth and the brutality of surveillance.
The performances of the main cast are also fantastic, with the ensemble effortlessly creating an atmosphere of youth and friendship. Where the film is truly special is in its engagement with politics. It is undoubtedly a political film, yet politics seems peripheral for the majority of its runtime, and when they do take centre stage they never overpower Sora’s character work. It is a perfect marriage of the personal and the political, and masterfully captures the reality of coming-of-age under a right-wing surveillance state. Even when backdropped by oppression, human connection and growth is an inalienable aspect of our youth.
What Sora depicts is an internal tension between selfishly holding onto these connections for our own gain or using them to rebel against the oppressive systems that would see them destroyed. It is an incredibly important film in our current global political climate and will undoubtedly start profound conversations about the role of youths in the political sphere.
Overall, Happyend is a magnificent film that is absolutely worthy of the time of adolescents and parents alike
Watch Trailer here: