I was out of the country when this film was released and have only just discovered it on video. I haven't been so satisfied and disturbed by a film since I saw Requiem for a Dream. THIS is what American Beauty wanted to be, only that film didn't go nearly far enough. (And guess what? It won Oscars!) "Happiness" is pure genius and truly gets to the rotten core of human relationships, whereas the aforementioned film scratched the surface and then backed off, one eye on the awards programs. One film told an obvious story: American society is superficial and people are lonely. Duh. The other film (this one, of course), is a universal story of alienation and truly dysfunctional families and individuals. It doesn't pull any punches, and if you're like me, you'll be grateful that a filmmaker had the guts to tell this story.
