Our culture is obsessed with quantifying goals and keeping score, where well-being is measured by a wrist-worn device that tracks steps and mindfulness is achieved through an expensive subscription. Yet the film, Wisdom of Happiness, is like a deep breath. This discreetly powerful new documentary, centered on an intimate encounter with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, offers a rare antidote to the exhaustion of modern life. It's not a lecture, but an invitation to a luminous, quietly revolutionary true story about an extraordinary man who reminds us that the path to joy begins with a deeper connection with the world around us. Let his message soothe you. Directors: Philip Delaquis, Barbara Miller Writers: Philip Delaquis, Barbara Miller Stars: The Dalai Lama At 90, the Dalai Lama is almost energetic; he has survived empires, witnessed wars, and seen humanity invent a thousand new ways to distract itself. Yet he remains disarmingly cheerful. Wisdom of Happiness captures that parad...
Needless to say, the title is ironic. The abject non-lead character in Kelly Reichardt's captivating and depressing heist film, set in 1970s Massachusetts, is weak, vain, and completely clueless. In the end, he becomes a strange Updikean figure, albeit one without self-awareness: he runs away without money or a change of clothes to escape the grotesque mess he has created for himself and his family. This is James, played with almost apathetic charm by Josh O'Connor; he's an art school dropout and aspiring architectural designer with two young children, married to Terri (one minor complaint is that the excellent Alana Haim doesn't have much to do). James relies on the social standing of his father Bill, a judge, played formidably by Bill Camp, and borrows large sums from his patrician mother Sarah (Hope Davis), ostensibly to fund a new project. Director: Kelly Reichardt Writer: Kelly Reichardt Stars: Josh O'Connor, Sterling Thompson, Alana Haim But James has somethi...