December 2024

94 mins,  Bhutan / Hungary  , 2024,      Age Rating: 

Dir: Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó

Showing: 8.45pm  4 Dec 2024   in the W Cinema

Starring:   Amber Kumar Gurung, Guna Raj Kuikel

Language: Dzongkha, Nepali, Englis with English Subtitles

Premiered at 2024 Sundance

The film follows Amber Kumar Gurung and Guna Raj Kuikel, two Bhutanese bureaucrats, in their travels through the small Himalayan kingdom as census workers, measuring people's happiness levels. They work for the Center for Gross National Happiness, a government institution which is tasked with collecting data on the citizens' happiness. This data is then used to inform the constitutionally-mandated goal of increasing national happiness.

Along the way we meet Bhutan's everyday people, such as a transgender bar singer, a wealthy farmer and his three wives, a teenage girl who worries about her mother's alcoholism, or a recent widower who finds solace in religion. Through them we get a glimpse into the Bhutanese society and their views on happiness in face of adversity. We also explore Amber's dreams and ambitions, primarily among them the dream of finding love.