Happiness

bro what the fuck I think this might be weirder than Oldboy. definitely one of the most underrated movies of the 90s. anyways review: this is one of the most interesting, thought-provoking movies I've ever seen. I mean I was already kind of pleasantly surprised at the premise of it all. - an ugly fat guy who's not some misunderstood hero we root for, no he's a piece of shit porn addict - a family man who also happens to be a pedophile - an old married couple who divorce after 40 years because he's just not into her anymore - a strong independent woman who's purposefully written to also be a huge cunt this was all already making me think "wow a really unique movie, going against the usual tropes" but as the movie unfolded, I realised these sick acts that were being committed throughout the whole thing were really these traumatised people's sick attempts of any human connection. these people are all fucked up sure, but deep down they need something to connect to.  the pedophile is still a genuinely caring father, the porn addict really just needs love, which he ironically finds from an asexual woman. the parents also maybe just need some space to grow separately🤷🏾‍♂️ this trauma needs to actually be talked about and resolved, or else it's an endless cycle. I mean we see if with the 3 daughters coming from fucked up parents, and we see the kid at the end just becoming a mirror to Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character. in fact, the fact that this movie is literally available on nothing except illegal websites is testament to this exact idea - no one wants to talk about this stuff, but it's what's needed. anyways great movie. great philosophy. did think the direction lacked cohesion at some points though - sometimes felt like separate movies with each sub plot.  also think it's worth mentioning that Joy was also definitely a stand-out character for me too - really tragic and Jane Adams plays her really well. also: PHILLIP👏 SEYMOUR👏HOFFMAN👏 I love him