Agent of Happiness

GDP is a very limited metric for measuring the success of a country; nonetheless, one can consider Bhutan's attempts to quantify Gross National Happiness as frankly bizarre. But it serves as the vehicle for this charming film, following one of those charged with assessing this as he visits various of his countrymen and women, whose stories provide small vignettes of a unique society in many ways different from those of the contempory west, one in which family bonds remain very strong and mostly to positive effect. Ironically, his own happiness is impeded by the government he works for, which refuses to treat him as a citizen due to his Nepali heritage. There may be no paradise anywhere on this earth; but one is left with feeling for the Bhutanese making the best of what they have.

I'm not sure if this ought to be called "Agent of Contentedness" instead? Not content as in barely having enough, but as in genuinely satisfied with your lot in life. That's what Amber seeks to find out as he travels the breadth of this tiny Himalayan kingdom, bi-annually, trying to ascertain just how it's citizens feel about things. Using a combination of tools, he chats with residents old and new, urban and rural, traditional and more modern - all with a view of establishing just how the population feel and feeding that back to a government that wants to listen and learn about those attitudes to help keep it's folks in a good place - mentally and physically. This documentary introduces us to a range of individuals whose aspirations vary considerably - sometimes depending on age, ability, location, education/vocational abilities - but mostly you are left with a sense of their appreciation of their surroundings. Even though their livelihoods might be seen by the West as more basic, agrarian, undeveloped; their own perception of their existence high in the mountains with beautiful scenery, fresh air and the blessings of their Gods upon them seems to offer that elusive sense of less being more and fulfilment. Obviously not everyone is deliriously happy, but there is a distinct lack of "clamouring" for change as the respect for the King and status quo seems to permeate all demographics screaming it ain't broke, so don't fix it. There are quite a few characters here, some more entertaining and a few downright curmudgeonly, and Amber sometimes has his work cut out for him trying to get meaningful answers to his questions so he can extrapolate the data usefully. In a society that hasn't really evolved technologically, it still seems to enable everyone to access the internet and there is a proud tradition of educating everyone to empower their decision making - and yet they still, broadly, feel that magic word. Happy. Owning cows seems to help, too!

Brief History Of a Family - Yet another "stranger infiltrates a wealthy family" but this one has too many plot contrivances and goes nowhere. Well made and acted though. Two Stars out of five.

A New Kind of Wilderness - This doco was OK. I wish we could have seen more footage of the mother and their life on the farm which would have had more of an impact. Three stars out of five. What a beautiful story. Not a single dry eye in the house. Loved it.

Greatest night in pop - overall very fun, had great pacing and insight into the chaos of the whole night it took to write "we are the world". It was really interesting to see some of the world's largest artists struggling when outside of their element.

Watching Agent of Happiness, I was not sure if it's a satire because the happiness index calculation seems... so simple. I mean, the barometer of happiness, if it can exist, is so complex as there are far too many things to factor in. It was wonderful to see the interviews that the two lead characters take of people from different strata and the potshots at some people who are happy at the expense of others within their family. Maybe the moral is that if most things in your life are good enough, you'll be most likely be happy. Even if that takes into the account the number of cows you own or the latest iPhone. The lead guy is charming and I wish I could be as happy as he is in the film regardless of the sources of his sadness.

(Watched at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Bhutan culture is rarely spoken from the media and all and this documentary is a charming, sweet, and interesting exploration about the happiness levels of Bhutan citizens with great conversations between the main peers, interesting cultural aspects explored and exploring the human self. Filmmakers Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo are able to capture the true essence of the life of Bhutan lifestyles and provide some really fun, bittersweet and touching interviews, discussions and camerawork throughout.

Many of the discussions from the Bhutanese peers are interesting as discussions about their culture, struggles, and self were interesting to listen towards. Including singing, dancing, dialogues and all.

Being the first Sundance film for this festival, what a good start! I'd recommend it for those who are interested in Bhutan culture.