The Edge (of your seat)

A Spanish fiesta of mystery, mayhem, and marvellously wicked human antics are the main ingredients in the dramatic dark satire titled: 'Happy 140th' or 'Happy 140' or ironically just: 'Happy'.

It is slightly reminiscent of Woody Allen's story scenarios, but a little less happy-actually.

This elaborately designed film exposes the grey facets of human nature through wonderfully complex and colourful characters.

It examines, in a very entertaining and intelligent way, the choices which individuals make, their complex emotions, and the consequences of their choices and actions.

This is all beautifully presented in a film about a strong, wilful, humorous and independent woman who decides to host a 'get together' for her closest and dearest, in a remote mansion by the sea, to celebrate her 40th birthday.

But, as the title sequence suggests -through a visual play on numbers and letters through the way the names of the actors and film makers are written and listed on screen, before the start of the movie- the number 40 is not just used in reference to the protagonist's age, but also in connection with a surprise announcement which she plans to make at the gathering.

We are presented with a wide spectrum of characters, ranging from the conscientious and loyal, to the demanding and distrustful, to the frightened and unhappy, to the innocent and hopeful, to the ambitious and confident, to the wilful and volatile, to the mercenary and calculating.
These include school friends, an old lover and his girlfriend, a sister, her husband and their son.

A melange of individuals with differing past experiences and psychological profiles are thus all thrown together in an isolated mansion, were tensions become high and old hurts fester and come to a boil.

The tension escalates beautifully as the plot unfolds, and we discover that there is more to this than petty bickering.

The crux of the story revolves around the heroine's attachment to an ex lover who shows up with his wife to be, and the twists bring us to a climactic incident, which then unlocks the darker nature of our characters. Each is tested and faced with his or her own turmoils and tribulations, and has a choice to make in order to resolve a very complicated situation.

Although the film repeats main familiar themes such as greed, jealousy, love and choice of ethics, it still manages to entertain because of the plot escalation and the consistency of both the characters and the story line. It satisfies our emotions of sorts and we nod in agreement because we expect the behaviour we witness from most of the familiar type cast characters.

This is a film about testing the boundaries of human emotions and morality. How far would each of us go when faced with a life changing situation, to either be selfless and moral or selfish in order to survive?

The darker side of the human intellect is exposed with candidness and transparency. This honesty- even to the point of admitting to moments of insanity in each human being when faced with an overwhelming circumstance- is refreshing.

The only feeling of 'wrongness' about the film, is in relation to how far these characters are willing to go to get to an end result.

The Machiavellian question of: 'does the end justify the means', comes to mind immediately, but the film has a slightly overly negative view of human nature in general.

It pushes the 'dark side' to extremes, when in reality (and although pragmatically people may behave insanely generally about certain things) it would be hard to believe that a majority in fact would go mad, or that ethics are in fact a thing of the past.    

On the contrary, and even with a realist's view point, ethics are still an integral part of humanity and a majority of individuals are capable of very strong moral decisions when faced with challenges.

Although this film could be a reflection of certain people in extreme situations, it is not a mirror image of society or reality in general.

We have all seen strangers helping someone in need on the street, as well as witnessed selflessness through amazing acts of kindness which shine through like beacons in the shadows.

The darker side of humanity certainly exists, but is not the overriding reality.

Extreme behaviour may be called for in certain cases, but being on the edge is a state most of us experience and come through successfully.

Falling off the edge is not necessarily the outcome. In fact, 'falling in' is often the result, where challenges we overcome make us stronger, even if they dramatically alter us or change our perspective on life.    

This film will have you on the edge of your seat at times, as well as thinking about the edges of reason, emotions and ethics.