Happyend

Story: Yuta (Hayato Kurihara), Kou (Yukito Hidaka), Ata-chan (Yuta Hayashi), Ming (Shina Peng) and Tomu (Arazi) are best friends who go to the same school. Yuta and Kou love music, especially techno, and want to work in the industry themselves one day. At school, Yuta and Kou decide to play a prank on their principal. They put his car, a sports car, upright in the schoolyard. The police question all the students but can't identify who is responsible, even though the principal has a suspicion. So the principal installs surveillance cameras at the school, and anyone who breaks the school rules has points deducted from his account. He defends this by arguing that this is for the safety of the school. The word "safety" is being used everywhere these days anyway, since Japan's prime minister has passed a new law that gives him enormous power in the event of a disaster. The government and the media repeatedly declare that a once-in-a-century earthquake is imminent, for which the entire country must prepare. However, opponents of the prime minister describe this as scaremongering, allowing him to establish a fascist state, and so there are repeated protests on the streets. There is also opposition to the surveillance cameras at school, and the five friends are subjected to particularly severe surveillance restrictions.

Kritik: At first, I wasn't sure what kind of mood "Happy End" would try to convey. I was expecting a coming-of-age movie with a bit of humor. Instead, I got a drama that, for the most part, seems somewhat dark. Perhaps this is because the film is set in the near future and deals with a (supposedly) impending catastrophe that gives the government the opportunity to expand its power and keep the people under control. The story thus takes on dystopian traits, leading to some fascinating, if not entirely new, thoughts about the role of the people in such a situation. In a sense, "Happy End" contrasts the uncertainty of a changing world with the carefree spirit of youth. This very carefree spirit gets disturbed for our protagonists not only by the political events in the country, but also by the fact that a new phase of life is about to begin, and the five friends may have to say goodbye to each other forever. All of this gives the drama a rather depressing atmosphere, which you have to be open to.

In terms of its mood, "Happy End" reminded me a bit of "The Parades". Perhaps because here you also feel like you're in an intermediate world when the events aren't taking place at school. The five friends sometimes seem to be the only people in the world, although that's obviously nonsense, since we also keep learning about certain events in the world. Maybe this is also due to the fact that this is a film without a big budget, which clearly exudes an art house vibe. You have to be able to get used to the latter, by the way, otherwise you'll hardly enjoy the picture. There are repeated scenes in which you watch someone pursuing a certain action for what feels like an eternity. This is probably also the reason why "Happy End" creates a certain loneliness. However, this causes problems with the pacing, because the scenes between the friends can actually stand out due to their dynamic nature, while the very leisurely shot scenes, in contrast, create downright boredom.

One of the drama's greatest strengths is the friendship between the students. One would have hoped for a bit more depth with some of them – Ming, in particular, seems interesting as the only girl in the group, but doesn't get the space she deserves – but at least in their interactions, one senses a sense of naturalness that is immediately captivating. There's some goofing around, but every now and then serious topics are addressed as well. In any case, they surely enjoy the time they spend together. Without this sense of friendship, the film would undoubtedly have been far too cold and distant. As mentioned, a number of serious topics are addressed and dealt with. For one thing, there's the surveillance at school, which is also linked to a social credit system. Those who aren't in class when they should be quickly lose points, and if their scores fall below a certain threshold, their parents are notified. The school's microcosm thus reflects what awaits these young people in the adult world. And that's where the film becomes political and looks at the dangers that await us in the future.

The media repeatedly reports on an impending super-earthquake. We are never told on what basis this is being reported. Still, for most people the numerous emergency drills leave no doubt about the truthfulness of this claim. Meanwhile, this form of scaremongering has given the prime minister more power than ever before. A small portion of the population takes to the streets to protest, but the rest is either uninterested or — perhaps even the silent majority — believes that demonstrations won't change anything anyway. The story primarily highlights the dilemma between security versus freedom. This question is perhaps even more interesting when it comes to Japan, a country where people tend not to act individually. One of the students points out that people apparantly have no imagination what it could lead to if a government creates an emergency in the country just to ensure safety. She explains that people should think for themselves instead of simply following what the government says. Something that seems to have become a major problem not only in Japan, but recently throughout the world. The unwillingness to think for oneself.

A surprising aspect is the multicultural nature of the class composition at school. There aren't only Japanese students here. Three of our friends are also only half-Japanese and are therefore ostracized — less by their classmates than by the adults. One of the friends is half-Korean and is repeatedly singled out during police checks. In the near future, a simple cell phone photo will be enough to give the police all the information they need about someone. It's quite frightening. It's also these people from other cultures who are more willing to fight for freedom and justice, while the other students are more passive. So, there are certainly some interesting facets to "Happy End", but ultimately, one gets the impression that too much of it is superficial. As mentioned before, the somewhat depressing atmosphere, partly due to the subject matter, can sometimes spoil the fun of the film, as can the at times very leisurely pace. Nevertheless, we are constantly hoping that the film's title isn't meant ironically. Overall, "Happy End" is a nice drama, but it collapses under the weight of its serious subject matter.

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