In a near-future Tokyo, not too different from ours, Japan is on the verge of societal collapse. The government is run by an aspiring fascist dictator, and an omnipresent surveillance state, in which every citizen must go through regular facial ID checks, has become the norm. Though you wouldn’t guess it based on the way the groups of rebellious youths run amok, sneaking into underground clubs and breaking into their school clubroom after hours to blast EDM music (an “old” genre that no one listens to anymore, they quip).
One such group of rebellious high school students go one step too far, however. Seeing their principal flaunting the new sports car he bought, they decide to flip it on its nose and place it in the middle of the school grounds — creating something that looks like a post-modern art piece. As the sunrise starts to fracture into rosy drops of light, they stumble home, pleased with their cheeky little act of rebellion. But the next day, their prank is taken as an act of “terrorism” by the irate principal, who instantly installs a strict video surveillance system in the school for everyone’s “safety.” Thus begins Happyend, Neo Sora’s chilling vision of a dystopian future not too far off from our own reality. It’s a shaggy, beautifully understated film about the resilience of youthful rebellion and ennui in the face of an increasingly bleak future. And while it may not have too much to say about that future, it’s hard to dislike the film’s slice-of-life approach to its sci-fi premise.
