I am happiness on earth, currently showing on Netflix (at least in Australia) reminds me of many art-house films I saw in the late 90's, early 00's; either in an alternate cinema or on VHS from a better video library.
It does not surprise me that many reviewers here didn't "get it". It was slow-paced and as is the case with many art-house movies, the viewer is almost a voyeur looking into the different scenes and the lives of the different characters.
The party scene was euro-lush taking the viewer there and building in excitement with the music and lighting. The rest of the movie has moments of bleakness; settings include bathrooms with graffiti; lounge rooms set in warehouses etc; it was all visually interesting.
One disappointment was that the actor playing dancer Octavia could not dance. To be honest he probably gave it a red hot go; for the untrained ballet moves can be very difficult; but Octavia's solo show was pretty embarrassing to watch. Other dance scenes also seemed lacking in technique.
What also surprised me was how many reviewers missed that the lengthy "ménage et trios" scene in the middle was the director's movie (as the credits rolled afterwards). I was quite confused while watching it (not to mention being questioned by my other half about the "soft porn" I was watching...lol) but the penny dropped eventually.
All in all I found this a stimulating movie to watch; much of the interest lies in the supporting details. It has stayed with me since I watched it and probably will for some time.
It does not surprise me that many reviewers here didn't "get it". It was slow-paced and as is the case with many art-house movies, the viewer is almost a voyeur looking into the different scenes and the lives of the different characters.
The party scene was euro-lush taking the viewer there and building in excitement with the music and lighting. The rest of the movie has moments of bleakness; settings include bathrooms with graffiti; lounge rooms set in warehouses etc; it was all visually interesting.
One disappointment was that the actor playing dancer Octavia could not dance. To be honest he probably gave it a red hot go; for the untrained ballet moves can be very difficult; but Octavia's solo show was pretty embarrassing to watch. Other dance scenes also seemed lacking in technique.
What also surprised me was how many reviewers missed that the lengthy "ménage et trios" scene in the middle was the director's movie (as the credits rolled afterwards). I was quite confused while watching it (not to mention being questioned by my other half about the "soft porn" I was watching...lol) but the penny dropped eventually.
All in all I found this a stimulating movie to watch; much of the interest lies in the supporting details. It has stayed with me since I watched it and probably will for some time.