Review of Happy End (2017) by Legitsalt — 06 May 2020

I go back and forth about who my favourite director is, and Michael Haneke is always amongst the finalists. Haneke’s style is so distinct, and his thematic consistency is so potent that it is hard not to become sucked into his oeuvre.

While each of Haneke’s pieces explores tangentially similar concepts and characters, the value of the pieces come from their differing minutia. Haneke recycles circumstances and characters because they work and can still be developed.

Happy End and Amour both feature Jean-Louis Trintignant as a character named Georges who suffers from suicidal tendencies, and Happy End and Caché both feature a female lead named Anne Laurent. Happy End differs from these films in its presentation and sprawling cast of characters.

Where Caché and Amour both feature a central woman by the name of Anne Laurent, the struggles she faces and the family she is surrounded by differ immensely. Happy End explores the relations that social media has with our interpersonal relations and our emotional capacities.

Haneke may be older than many directors, but with Happy End, he shows that he understands not only technology and social media, but also how they are interfaced, interacted with, and socially presented.

The film is very expansive and takes on so many things that it is hard to comprehend all the moving pieces fully with only one watch. With this film, Haneke shows that he can juggle myriad balls and deftly encapsulate the human condition.