Happiness to All

synopsis

Vitaly, a nuclear physicist and record holder in extreme cold-exposure training, makes his living as a bricklayer and lives below the poverty line. While his parents, prominent scientists, reminisce about the glory of the regime they willingly built, the avowed patriot from Novosibirsk is gradually changing his mind about Putin's Russia. He rejects its capitalist nature and continues, as a radicalised blogger, to advocate the establishment of a juster regime. This intergenerational clash is typical of the countries of the former Soviet Bloc. While the older generation remembers the certainties and advantages of the past regime, the younger one is hopelessly mired in a crisis of authority, rejecting past and present political representation and resorting to extreme views. Like everything else in his life, Vitaly is experiencing his political awakening in an extreme way as the son of elites relegated to the social periphery after the collapse of the empire. This time-lapse character study, filmed between 2016 and 2024, depicts how long-term frustration and disillusionment lead entire generations and social classes to gravitate towards radical solutions and vote for authoritarian leaders like Putin, Trump or Le Pen.

 “I'm not afraid of a coup; I'm looking forward to it. Any change will be for the better, because it can't get any worse.” 

biography

Filip Remunda (1973) is a Czech director and producer who studied documentary directing at FAMU in the workshop of Karel Vachek. He makes confrontational satirical documentaries on social issues. He co-founded the Institute of Documentary Film and the independent production company Hypermarket Film. He is the co-author of the Czech Television series Czech Journal and, in a directing duo with Vít Klusák, has made Czech Dream, Czech Peace (Ji.hlava IDFF 2022), The Good Driver Smetana (Ji.hlava IDFF 2013) and Once Upon a Time in Poland (Ji.hlava IDFF 2020).

more about film

director:	Filip Remunda
producer:	Filip Remunda, Vít Klusák, Tereza Horská
script:	Filip Remunda
photography:	Jakub Halousek
editing:	Tanya Vikhreva
music:	Minco Eggersman
sound:	Michal Gábor
sound design:	Ranko Paukovič
co-producer:	Denis Vaslin, Alena Müllerová, Vladislove Ketkovich

contact

Tereza Horská / Hypermarket Film email@hypermarketfilm.cz