The Grand Illusion

The master of dark comic misery, Todd Solondz, casts his ironic-compassionate gaze on a panoply of suburban New Jersey sad sacks and societal rejects—including a phone sex fiend, a pedophile father, and an elderly couple going through a divorce—in this audacious exploration of the universal search for fulfillment. By turns bitterly hilarious, darkly disturbing, and emotionally devastating (sometimes all at once), HAPPINESS dares to extend empathy to even the most damaged among us.

Jas and Chase of Unstreamable will introduce the Friday, Feb. 9 screening! This 35mm print is the best way to see the film. There is no recent home video or streaming release.

“[Solondz] fills Happiness with enough misery to make its most outrageous joke its title — and with enough true, unexpected tenderness to warrant this view of the world.” Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“The world of Happiness is a bit off-kilter, which creates distance between you and the film. But if you look closer, you might get a glimpse of your own pathetic desires and contradictions.” Jas Keimig, The Stranger

“It is not a film for most people. It is certainly for adults only. But it shows Todd Solondz as a filmmaker who deserves attention, who hears the unhappiness in the air and seeks its sources.” Roger Ebert