Film
Happy
Other titles called Happy: the 2017 series (Syfy).
- Light-hearted
Happy is a documentary that travels across 14 countries asking a deceptively simple question: what makes people content? It weaves together interviews with happiness researchers, ordinary people, and survivors of trauma, searching for patterns beneath our assumptions about success, money, and fulfilment. It's optimistic without being naïve—curious, visually engaging, and genuinely moving.
If you liked this
The Social Dilemma2020
Explores how technology hijacks human wellbeing and attention, offering necessary context for why happiness feels harder to sustain in the modern world. Urgent and clarifying.
But Heavy on the critique, lighter on solutions. Can leave you feeling worse before you feel better.
Bowling for Columbine2002
Michael Moore's documentary about violence, isolation, and what we've lost as a society. Investigative, personal, and asks similar questions about what binds communities together.
But Moore's style is deliberately provocative and sometimes plays fast with nuance. Not everyone's cup of tea.
Won't You Be My Neighbor?2018
A portrait of Mr. Rogers' quiet philosophy about human dignity and kindness. Deeply moving examination of what genuine fulfilment looks like when you centre others.
But Sentimental and reverent. If you're allergic to earnestness, this won't convert you.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Happy
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Ikiru1952
Same fundamental question—what makes a life worth living?—but asked through narrative instead of interview. Arrives at wisdom rather than conclusions.
Kurosawa's masterpiece about a bureaucrat discovering purpose only as he's dying. Japanese cinema's definitive statement on happiness, meaning, and the life unlived. Devastating and redemptive.
But Black-and-white, nearly three hours, and relentlessly serious. The pacing is deliberate, not fast. You're not watching this to cheer up.
More like this (6)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi2011
Japanese sushi chef pursuing perfection across 50 years. A meditation on mastery, purpose, and whether obsession can be a form of happiness. Hypnotic and beautifully shot.
But Slow-paced and hyperfocused. Some find it ponderous; others find it meditative depending on mood.
Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things2015
Examines how less stuff and clearer values affect wellbeing, arguing happiness comes from intentionality rather than accumulation. Direct and visually smart.
But Can feel like a long argument you've already heard. Preaches to the converted in places.
The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief2006
Intimate, unsettling look at a transgender bar in Thailand and what connection means to lonely people. Challenges assumptions about pleasure, loneliness, and acceptance.
But Deliberately uncomfortable and ethically ambiguous. Not a feel-good film, though it deepens your thinking.
49 Up2006
Follows the same people from age seven onwards, every seven years. The most sustained meditation on happiness, regret, and whether life turns out as you hoped.
But Demands real time commitment—these are long films. And watching people's dreams change or fade isn't always uplifting.
Happiness1998
Happy asks 'what is happiness?' with optimism. This asks 'why are we so unhappy?' with satire. Same obsession, opposite tone.
Todd Solondz's transgressive dark comedy about suburban unhappiness and sexual dysfunction. Hilarious and nauseating and profound. Does for happiness what Trainspotting does for drugs.
But Deeply uncomfortable; jokes about paedophilia and assault. Solondz makes you complicit in finding things funny that shouldn't be. Not for everyone.
My Golden Days2015
Both films accept that happiness isn't a destination but a series of moments and choices. This one shows it through the architecture of memory rather than global interviews.
Arnaud Desplechin's haunting film about a man remembering his past loves and choices, asking whether the life you lived was the life you wanted. French, literary, structurally audacious.
But Fragmented narrative and abstract structure. Some find it bewildering; others find it mimics how memory actually works.
People
Cast
- Gregory BernsSelf
- Roy BlanchardSelf
Tenzin GyatsoSelf- Richard DavisonSelf
- Ed DienerSelf
- Daniel GilbertSelf
- Tim KasserSelf
- Nic MarksSelf
Directing
- Roko BelicDirector
Writing
- Roko BelicWriter
Production
- Tom ShadyacExecutive Producer
- Adrian BelicProducer
- Bhagyashree RaoraneProducer
- Frances ReidProducer
- Hiji Han ShimizuProducer
- Jess FurmanProducer
- Pamela HarrisProducer
- Roko BelicProducer