Agent Of Happiness

Each year, Bhutan measures the nation’s happiness levels to guide government policy. But collecting the data can be quite a challenge, involving mountainous treks and abundant questions. The collection agents take it in their stride, cheerfully surveying residents about their livestock, households and contentment levels. Happiness for some is food in the cupboard, or a new tractor. But for one of the agents, who lives with his elderly mother, happiness is tied to his hopes for a wife and passport – problematic because of his Nepali heritage. Bhutanese director-cinematographer Arun Bhattarai and his Hungarian co-director Dorottya Zurbó explore the very idea of happiness in this endearingly tender film.