Our Happy Place

Buckle up! You are in for a harrowing, psychologically nuanced, brilliantly heart stopping, scream-inducing, raucous thrill ride. You may wonder who is in control as we follow our lead character Raya who keeps waking up in the woods not knowing how she got there. Living as the sole caregiver to her seriously ill husband in the woods of Big Bear, we witness Raya's resourceful attempts to solve the mystery of why she has no memory of leaving her own home in the dead of night, and awaking in the woods, and injured no less. Raya and her partner's relationship, played by gifted multi-hyphenate Writer/Director/Actor/Producer Paul Bickel is revealed in endearing flashbacks, where his disarming grin and the playfulness of their love feel relatable, organic and grounding - only to have the ground pulled out from under them, and us as audience, as we leap back to Raya's untenable present.

There is a white-knuckle paced intensity Bickel and team create, sharpened to palpitating heights by Jim Holdridge, Paul Bickel and David Ho's editing, making you grit your teeth in determination, almost as if your own intensity will help free Raya from this inexplicable, eerie cycle she's involuntarily repeating. From Tracie Thoms (also produces) and Eugene Byrd's masterful comic relief (equally touching, too) as counterpoint to Raya's pain, to pitch perfect performances by the entire ensemble, with crushingly impactful performance by Allysun Faso and evocative duo Carmen Serano and Terry Gingles, to the breathtaking fear composer David Hernandez startles us with to stunning effect throughout his score, to the flawless sound design by David Ho (also edits & produces), hauntingly beautiful cinematography (Paul Bickel & Damu Malick) of the grandeur of the lakelines, skylines, and elegant deer in their element in the woods, Bickel and Miles have made an unforgettable feature that will spark conversation, you don't want to miss this terrifying gem.

Most inedible of all, is the searingly raw, deeply poignant performance by Raya Miles, as she fights to free herself from this tortuous waking nightmare, even as she's equally devoted to caring for her ailing husband. You don't want to look away from Miles for even a fraction of a second - she's too riveting. Our Happy Place is a testament to what women endure in the quest to love: you don't want to miss this quest. Note this brassy, bold & resourceful filmmaking dynamo of Paul Bickel, Raya Miles, Tracie Thoms, & team, as they make their ongoing mark - you'll be glad (if haunted) you did!

A love-letter to horror, imagination, and the passion & persistence of filmmaking. While most of us were doomscrolling, and getting fat during the pandemic, two people were giving their all to this film, literally doing everything in front, and behind the scenes. It's gorgeous, scary, emotional, and makes every short film I've made seem lazy. There's a routine to the plot, which can trap some films in monotony, but Raya's performance kept me consistently fascinated. Tracie Thoms Pops-in occasionally to deliver much-welcomed laughs and a dose of reality, for the characters, and for our own pandemic PTSD.

Our Happy Place is a haunting and unforgettable psychological horror thriller that delves into the emotional isolation and underlying fears brought to the surface during the COVID-19 pandemic. Set against the eerie backdrop of lockdown life, the film follows a couple, Raya Miles and Paul Bickel, as they navigate an unraveling reality that becomes increasingly disturbing.

What makes Our Happy Place particularly compelling is not just its chilling narrative, but the extraordinary dedication behind its creation. Written, directed, and performed by real-life couple Miles and Bickel, the film was conceived and brought to life entirely during the pandemic. With a remarkably small crew, the pair handled everything from scripting and acting to filming and composing the original score. Their artistic commitment and versatility shine through every frame, adding layers of intimacy and authenticity to an already gripping story.

This is not just a horror film-it is a bold artistic endeavor that uses minimalism and psychological tension to evoke maximum fear. With its creative ingenuity and deeply unsettling atmosphere, Our Happy Place stands out as a powerful example of pandemic-era filmmaking and a reminder of how true art often emerges from the most challenging times.

Stuck in a remote cabin, a couple hoping to get through the pandemic there while recuperating from his illness at the same time finds her going through a series of ordeals and strange visions, the more she stays there, which starts to eat away at her to the point of allowing a malevolent force inside.

Overall, this was an underwhelming genre effort. The film's at its best when dealing with the harrowing psychological burden of the situation as a whole, stuck in a cabin in the middle of nowhere during the pandemic, meaning that there's little to no help available, and strange things begin happening. From waking up outside after sleepwalking with no memory of how anything happens, a stressful situation with your invalid partner who can't take care of themself, and a series of flashbacks harkening to some kind of unknown entity wandering around the house trying to get at them, there's' a lot to like with this idea that sets them up rather nicely. Even though it all unfolds with the burgeoning realizations made about how the dreams are impacting her, the main setup of this one works rather nicely. With that out of the way, there's not a whole lot going on here, with the film feeling like a repetitive slog going through the same thing over and over again. The setup about whether or not something is going on in the house is fine enough on its own, but when it constantly devolves into a rather one-sided affair without much in the way of how the visions keep affecting her. Very few of them switch things up from the same setup involving her waking up in the middle of the woods after seeing something creepy in her dreams, and it makes the film feel much longer than it really should be as repetitive. The cheap and flimsy setup that moves this along might also be somewhat off-putting, but it's the repetitive nature that does this the most.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

Our Happy Place was so good! It's full of scares and mystery. Just when you think you've figured out the plot, you can kiss your expectations goodbye, as an end-of-movie twist turns it all upside down. The sound and music heighten the tension and fear to astonishing levels and effect. The acting was top-notch, with the women particularly shining. Raya is truly heartbreaking, and Tracie Thoms is appropriately hilarious, a needed comic relief from the high tension. The characters in peril are VERY believable, and sell their fear so well, I was actually worried about them. I saw this movie at a festival a couple months ago, and liked it so much that I went to Dances With Films just to see it a second time.