The film begins with the caption: “this film will not make you happy.” Stefan Sagmeister’s film journey is an attempt to find happiness again after the disintegration of his 11 year relationship and the death of his mother and occasionally becomes an ego show. The Austrian born in 1962 made a name for himself as a graphic designer and the typographer of Rolling Stones album covers. Collaborating with his friend director Hillman Curtis (who died during the 6 year long shoot and was replaced by Ben Nabors), his experiments are fixated on the protagonist which is not surprising since Curtis already shot a short film portrait in 2008 with the title THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN MY LIFE SO FAR: STEFAN SAGMEISTER. Sagmeister tries three methods for three months at a time that have been proven to lead to a more satisfying life according to psychologist Jonathan Haidt: meditation, behavioral therapy, and medication. Contemplation in an Indonesian monastery fails, therapy in New York works better. The most interesting (and voyeuristic) section is the one in which Sagmeister seeks to optimize his well-being with medication. He gushes about girls and drugs (“I love big pharma!”) while on lexapro and falls in love with a young journalist. A marriage proposal quickly follows (the ring is in a cheesecake). “It’s too good to be true” someone warns him and his love mania falls apart without antidepressants. Cheerful music, a quick pace, and graphic eye candy puts THE HAPPY FILM in the special interest category, but it’s an easy watch. The wow factor of this self-referential long-term documentary remains small: leaving your comfort zone pays off, being newly in love is different than being committed for years, you should live in the present. Nobody’s perfect.

Christian Horn

Translation: Elinor Lewy