Agent of Happiness

Extremely insightful piece on the various ways Bhutanese people approach happiness. Given the country's strong branding around the notion of "happiness" this documentary adds a surprisingly diverse account on the topic.

I partiuclarly loved how some of most important sentences come from "simple" "everyday" Bhutanese people, demonstarting that happiness might root in the spiritual rather than the material values. At the same time through the accounts of the participants, the film reflects on some of the most burning issues of the country (like emigration or alcohol abuse).

I truly recommend this documentary by Dorottya and Arun: food for thought for the open minded.

I'm not sure if this ought to be called "Agent of Contentedness" instead? Not content as in barely having enough, but as in genuinely satisfied with your lot in life. That's what Amber seeks to find out as he travels the breadth of this tiny Himalayan kingdom, bi-annually, trying to ascertain just how it's citizens feel about things. Using a combination of tools, he chats with residents old and new, urban and rural, traditional and more modern - all with a view of establishing just how the population feel and feeding that back to a government that wants to listen and learn about those attitudes to help keep it's folks in a good place - mentally and physically. This documentary introduces us to a range of individuals whose aspirations vary considerably - sometimes depending on age, ability, location, education/vocational abilities - but mostly you are left with a sense of their appreciation of their surroundings. Even though their livelihoods might be seen by the West as more basic, agrarian, undeveloped; their own perception of their existence high in the mountains with beautiful scenery, fresh air and the blessings of their Gods upon them seems to offer that elusive sense of less being more and fulfilment. Obviously not everyone is deliriously happy, but there is a distinct lack of "clamouring" for change as the respect for the King and status quo seems to permeate all demographics screaming it ain't broke, so don't fix it. There are quite a few characters here, some more entertaining and a few downright curmudgeonly, and Amber sometimes has his work cut out for him trying to get meaningful answers to his questions so he can extrapolate the data usefully. In a society that hasn't really evolved technologically, it still seems to enable everyone to access the internet and there is a proud tradition of educating everyone to empower their decision making - and yet they still, broadly, feel that magic word. Happy. Owning cows seems to help, too!

The structure of this documentary about life in Bhutan is decidedly odd and, in some ways, limits its impact. Even so, viewers anxious to get an impression of life in that country today will not be displeased by Agent of Happiness which is extremely well photographed by its two directors, Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó. Nevertheless, the approach taken by the filmmakers involves switching from one style to another and from one focus to another and results in a film that never fully comes together.

The film's title refers to its central figure, the 40-year-old but still unmarried Amber Kumar Gurung who devotedly looks after his aged mother (we learn that his siblings have all married). Despite this personal detail the film initially seems to be centred on his work. We learn that he is employed with a colleague, Guna Raj Kuikel, to travel around the country putting official questions to its citizens as part of a survey. In Bhutan great pride is taken in keeping up its reputation as a place of great happiness and these questions are regularly put, 148 of them altogether, in order to calculate an annual figure for the Gross National Happiness Index. Every interviewee is asked to react to each question by giving an evaluation up to ten. One example seen here concerns a village youth and his ratings written up on the screen are for the following: Sense of Anger/Number of Donkeys/Sense of Belonging/Level of Forgiveness/Sense of Satisfaction. The combined figure gives him a nine out of ten.

GDP is a very limited metric for measuring the success of a country; nonetheless, one can consider Bhutan's attempts to quantify Gross National Happiness as frankly bizarre. But it serves as the vehicle for this charming film, following one of those charged with assessing this as he visits various of his countrymen and women, whose stories provide small vignettes of a unique society in many ways different from those of the contempory west, one in which family bonds remain very strong and mostly to positive effect. Ironically, his own happiness is impeded by the government he works for, which refuses to treat him as a citizen due to his Nepali heritage. There may be no paradise anywhere on this earth; but one is left with feeling for the Bhutanese making the best of what they have.

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Bhutan culture is rarely spoken from the media and all and this documentary is a charming, sweet, and interesting exploration about the happiness levels of Bhutan citizens with great conversations between the main peers, interesting cultural aspects explored and exploring the human self. Filmmakers Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo are able to capture the true essence of the life of Bhutan lifestyles and provide some really fun, bittersweet and touching interviews, discussions and camerawork throughout.

Many of the discussions from the Bhutanese peers are interesting as discussions about their culture, struggles, and self were interesting to listen towards. Including singing, dancing, dialogues and all.

Being the first Sundance film for this festival, what a good start! I'd recommend it for those who are interested in Bhutan culture.