Happiness Is 2024 Movie Review
As we get older, our definitions of happiness play out in a variety of ways. For some happiness means family, career, wealth, academic, or inner peace. For Princess (Renate Stuurman) – a successful gallery owner and single mother- there is more than meets the eye as she avoids celebrating her fortieth birthday. What could be the reasons for her unhappiness?
What makes one unhappy or unfulfilled with their lives despite having it all? These are the central questions the South African romantic drama Happiness Is contends with. This recent addition to Netflix marks the third installment from the highly successful predecessors- 2016’s Happiness is A Four Letter Word and Happiness Ever After (2021).
The film franchise’s core story is an adaptation of South African novelist Nozizwe Cynthia Jele’s Happiness is a Four-Letter Word published in 2010. In Happiness Is, Princess and Leo (Richard Lukunku) are the only remaining original characters with Zaza (Khanyi Mbau) mentioned in passing.
This third installment is a whole new film but with the usual rom-com formula – entanglements, spa dates over Champaign, and new flames forming. New cast members include Rosemary Zimu, Anton David Jeftha, Phaphama Nqabeni, and O.C. Ujeke. Apart from the film being driven by the protagonist’s narration, the high-quality picture, opulent living, and exceptional stylistic colour palette are still intact.
Due to life throwing different curve balls, as people we find ourselves either questioning the meaning of life or running away from those questions. Princess’s existential crisis is now pronounced as she approaches fourth-floor status. She has a perfectly crafted life but drowns in melancholy and even acts out to sabotage others’ happiness because of her resentment.
Princess’ bestie Tumi Modise, portrayed by Gail Mabalane, is planning the ultimate 40th birthday bash — Princess’s ‘rebirth’. But after a shocking revelation, Princess is thrown into a whirlwind of self-discovery. She embarks on a journey to face her fears, untangle her emotions, and figure out what truly makes her happy. Tumi, on the other hand, brusquely avoids getting into a serious relationship with Sabelo (Siv Ngesi) based on fear and past trauma.
The film’s writers give viewers male characters not scared to show their vulnerabilities. Leo, for instance, wants to be a better father while conscious of his triumph over drug addictions. He is comfortable with co-parenting with Princess while making his boundaries clear on their business and personal relationship.
Sabelo is hurt by Gail’s uncertainty and rejections. This angle brings a refreshing note of black African men who wear their hearts on their sleeves and are willing to fight for love and make better decisions. The choice of location of the holiday house environment gives Happiness Is a somewhat festive feel compared to the previous films. It inspires escaping the urban bustles for a rediscovery of self among nature. The self-reflective moment can be enjoyed alone or with friends over zip lining and picnics on hill tops with views of orange sunsets.
The cheery sounds of Ami Faku’s “eBhayi” in one of the film’s scenes evaluated such merry feelings to make me want to pack a bag and hit the road to far-away lands. After all the trapped-in-the-house cliché moments had passed, I was worried that the big table confrontation where secrets are revealed will come too early with thirty minutes into
the film. Though with some editing flaws, that felt the story might die midway, the production team at Blingola Media tried their best to keep the story moving, albeit its predictability.
Beyond all the new faces and locations, the film’s central question asks- What is happiness? For Will Smith’s character- Chris Gardner in 2006’s Pursuit of Happyness it was finding a fulfilling job to support himself and his son. In Buddhist teachings, happiness is regarded as a peace of mind. This state of mind is achieved by detaching the self from all passions, needs, and wants in life.
Closer to home, the recent Nedbank Happiness Survey 2023, found that strong and supportive relationships with loved ones bring the most happiness for South Africans. The survey- in partnership with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) – had over 10,000 participants making it the largest happiness survey of its kind conducted in South Africa. The respondents were dominated by those in the 31-45 age brackets similar to the characters in Happiness Is.
Fiction is a reflection of reality, hence viewers- locally and globally- may relate with the characters’ search for the meaning of happiness. Age milestones have a way of knocking one’s spirit. But life doesn’t begin at forty. It begins when you find healing and self-acceptance. Though fulfilling relationships and work is vital, happiness is not dependent on the external but the internal.
It is when we find our unshaken center in what life has dished out. It is when we feast on life’s beauty and challenges, then sip and dance in the rain rooted in self-love and self-worth. Apart from reality shows and young adult series, one genre the global streamer has mastered for South African viewers is romantic comedies. Beyond the predictability and frills, Happiness Is holds pertinent themes society grapples with daily. Dear reader, what is your definition of happiness?
