Tag Archives: Yukito Hidaka

Two best friends’ high school prank leads to a school-wide surveillance state. With the country already on edge politically and everyone waiting for a massive impending earthquake, HAPPYEND creeps into your psyche as both a warning and a coming-of-age drama.

 

Kou and Yuta are obsessed with music. They make a habit of breaking into school to create dance tracks with their close group of friends. But, after their attempts to humble their principal, Big Brother enters the building to police their every move. The system is now rigged against them.

 

Filmmaker Neo Sora‘s dialogue is fantastic. The mixed feelings of best friends about to be torn apart by change, the comical made-up conversations from afar, and the authentic moments of growing up and growing apart. Sora opens fresh wounds at every turn. Bill Kirstein’s cinematography immediately sets the tone. He manages to capture the raucous joy of high school shenanigans and the disturbing advances in technological scrutiny.

 

This predominantly young cast is incredible. Yukito Hidaka is captivating as Kou. His brooding aura and genuine wonder are the perfect foil for Hayato Kurihara‘s intense Yuta. Each actor wears their heart on their sleeve.

 

HAPPYEND is an undeniably Orwellian, yet entirely relevant. The US is currently feeling the direct dystopian effects of hyper-surveillance as people of color are snatched off the streets at every turn, with assistance from DMV and court records. Protesters are no safer, unless in large numbers. Sora gives his young characters a platform to resist, and it is both heart-pounding and inspiring. It keenly reflects ever-evolving political landscapes everywhere.

 

He cleverly weaves together the climate crisis, young activism, and (very) near-future technology takeover. Quietly terrifying, we can pretend like HAPPYEND isn’t a glimpse into tomorrow. At its heart, the film is an effective teen drama set in the heightened and often Sisyphian world we’re leaving the next generation.