"When we then get one more frozen snapshot moment in time near the finale, you only wish that you could bottle up all of what was captured." - Chase Hutchinson, TheWrap
"Neo Sora is no catastrophist: the vision of dystopia he puts forth in his coolly compelling first fiction feature Happyend is chilling precisely because it won’t take some thunderous armageddon to bring it about." - Jessica Kiang, Variety
In his striking fiction debut, Neo Sora (RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: OPUS) envisions a Tokyo gripped by an ever-tightening web of surveillance. In resistance against a new behavioral monitoring system that tracks and penalizes student conduct in real time, the student body grows increasingly disillusioned with authority. Some respond with subversive pranks, others with silent defiance, all questioning the purpose of protest in a world that treats them like prisoners. HAPPYEND is an urgent and timely reflection of resistance in an age of control. Siskel Film Center exclusive.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best Film, Venice Horizons Award, Venice Film Festival
Winner - Best Newcomer (Hayato Kurihara), Asian Film Awards
Nominee - Best New Director, Asian Film Awards
Winner - New Talent Award, Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
Nominee - First Feature Competition, London Film Festival
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu