HAPPYEND

In a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake pervades daily life, two rabble-rousing best friends are about to graduate high school. One night, they pull a consequential prank on their Principal, which leads to a surveillance system being installed in their school. Stuck between the oppressive security system and a darkening national political situation, the two respond in contrasting ways, leading them to confront differences they never had to face before. This beautifully crafted fiction feature debut from director Neo Sora (whom we met through the film he dedicated to his father, Ryuichi Sakamoto) transports us to an urban environment that is constantly alert, moving dangerously close to aborting the notion of the commons. Focusing on a handful of rebellious adolescents struggling to find their path in a corrupt modern world, Happyend is an ode to youth’s stubborn insistence on dreaming of a better future, as well as a harsh critique to the society of surveillance.