Happy Man

This extremely promising first feature, extraordinarily assured given the writer/director's 27 years, builds up an elliptical, enigmatic but finally wholly lucid tale of a thirtyish slacker, a would-be writer who lives with his mother and decides to improve his ways when it appears she's dying. To make her happy, he determines to meet someone and marry, and settles on a single mother. Robust, imaginative imagery, long takes with little dialogue and marvellous performances serve to draw out the cruel ironies of the perceptive, unsentimental but poignant script.