The documentary team follows two happiness agents in their forties who spend a month and a half on the road twice a year, going door-to-door with their questionnaires in isolated villages in the Himalayas. The filmmakers undertake to provide an intimate insight into the daily lives and desires of Bhutanese people, and also seek the answer to the universal question of whether happiness can really be measured. Gross National Happiness promises a heart-warming journey into a mysterious, fairytale-like world, which is the exact opposite of the social order dominated by consumption and desires.
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CinemaSerf
11/24/2024
7 / 10
I'm not sure if this ought to be called "Agent of Contentedness" instead? Not content as in barely having enough, but as in genuinely satisfied with your lot in life. That's what Amber seeks to find out as he travels the breadth of this tiny Himalayan kingdom, bi-annually, trying to ascertain just how it's citizens feel about things. Using a combination of tools, he chats with residents old and new, urban and rural, traditional and more modern - all with a view of establishing just how the population feel and feeding that back to a government that wants to listen and learn about those attitudes to help keep it's folks in a good place - mentally and physically. This documentary introduces us to a range of individuals whose aspirations vary considerably - sometimes depending on age, ability, location, education/vocational abilities - but mostly you are left with a sense of their appreciation of their surroundings. Even though their livelihoods might be seen by the West as more basic, agrarian, undeveloped; their own perception of their existence high in the mountains with beautiful scenery, fresh air and the blessings of their Gods upon them seems to offer that elusive sense of less being more and fulfilment. Obviously not everyone is deliriously happy, but there is a distinct lack of "clamouring" for change as the respect for the King and status quo seems to permeate all demographics screaming it ain't broke, so don't fix it. There are quite a few characters here, some more entertaining and a few downright curmudgeonly, and Amber sometimes has his work cut out for him trying to get meaningful answers to his questions so he can extrapolate the data usefully. In a society that hasn't really evolved technologically, it still seems to enable everyone to access the internet and there is a proud tradition of educating everyone to empower their decision making - and yet they still, broadly, feel that magic word. Happy. Owning cows seems to help, too!
