By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1 cat
Director: Fien Troch
Starring: Jan Decleir | Josse De Pauw | Natali Broods
Original language title: Een ander zijn geluk
Country: belgium, netherlands
Year: 2005
Running time: 98
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448342/combined
Bruce says: “SOMEONE ELSE’S HAPPINESS is a story of loss, guilt and suspicion. The opening shots are gorgeous; a sudden thud is heard and the camera pans to a child who is struggling to get up alongside a road but loses the struggle as he slips into a ditch. Had the film ended there I would have been happy. But $20 CND is a steep price to pay for a 90 second short film.
“SOMEONE ELSE’S HAPPINESS has some of the worst production values I’ve seen in some time. The location, the set design, the costuming, the lighting all give one pause to wonder how such dreary decisions could have been made. The aforementioned are not slightly off, they are way off. Unquestionably the intent of the film’s bleakness is to match the bleakness of what appears to be a murder and the sad, unfortunate consequences which follow. However, many other directors convey bleakness without confusing it with blandness.
“The acting, with the exception of a few rare moments is mediocre or poor. The film’s skimpy salvation – if I dare use the word – it the story. Fien Troch creates more than one great McGuffin. Finding humor where I can, one of the MucGuffins lives in a McMansion. 1 cat”