Review of Happiness (1965) by Eric B — 23 Jun 2012

Over within 80 minutes, Agnes Varda's "Le Bonheur" (Happiness) is a curious little movie that's bound to generate discussion if you see it with a friend.

A quarter of the film passes before a tangible issue emerges. Francois is a carpenter. Therese is a dressmaker. They have two beautiful children and an idyllic, pastoral existence of picnics and lakeside walks. A real-life family plays these four roles (only the lead actor, Jean-Claude Drouot, is a professional).

Francois's comfortable world changes when he meets Emilie (Marie-France Boyer), an improbably stunning blonde who works at the local post office. They quickly fall into an affair, but the situation lacks all the expected melodrama that would cloud an American version of this tale. No one is jealous. Everyone is content. Therese guesses Francois is cheating, but is merely happy that he has found more love. And his attention to his family has not slipped, so there's no real reason for concern. Um, right? The triangle resolves in an unusual, provocative way.

This is a gorgeous-looking film, bursting with spring colors and nature. Mozart's darting woodwinds dominate the pleasing score, while Varda's New Wave relevance peeks out with some odd jump cuts and sly references to other films. "Le Bonheur" feels somewhat slight in the end, but is still charming.