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Happiness, Where Are You?

I first became aware of Michael Haneke in 2005 after viewing "Caché," a marvelous mystery with a dark bent. From then on, I looked forward to anything he directed. "The White Ribbon" and "Amour" followed, and both were similarly excellent. I was less fond of his "Funny Games," but his latest, "Happy End," is another joy ride of darkness.

The first fifteen or so minutes are viewed through a camera phone, which serves as a precursor to the somewhat shocking end of the film. It is somewhat reminiscent of "Caché." Haneke clearly enjoys the employment of modern electronic devices in telling a story.

The Laurents are a very wealthy family living in Calais, and they run an immensely successful construction business. Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is the family patriarch, but he is no longer in charge because his memory is failing. His daughter Anne (Isabelle Huppert) has taken over the reins over the business, and she is doing a fine job of it.

Anne's brother Thomas (Mathieu Kassowitz) is also living in the house in Calais, with his much younger second wife and their infant. Aside from Georges's diminishing faculties, it's a pretty idyllic existence in the Laurent mansion, but this is a Haneke film, so it's highly likely that below the surface lurks something of a disturbing nature.

Thomas's first wife has recently attempted suicide, which necessitates his young daughter Ève (Fantine Harduin) coming to stay in the Laurent household. Anne's son Pierre (Franz Rogowski) is a petulant alcoholic who seems headed down a path of destroying himself and those around him. A landslide at the family's construction site business highlights Pierre's destructive attitudes and behaviors.

Haneke is a master at unfolding disturbing personality traits of his characters and in "Happy End" he does it again. While it's a notch below his best work, that still leaves it a notch better than the normal fare. When the final frames go by, it's hard to stifle an uneasy grin and its abrupt ending is shocking, scary, and darkly comical, making the film's title something to think about as you exit.