Happy, Happy

An extramarital affair rocks the already unsteady relationships of two couples in this low-key Norwegian charmer. Kaja (Agnes Kittelsen) has a boundless enthusiasm for life, but it masks an unhappiness with her inattentive husband, surly son and the prospect of an uneventful future in their rural community. When a middle-class couple rent the adjacent property, Kaja finds a release from her frustrations with cuckolded husband Sigve (Henrik Rafaelsen). Like its heroine, the story never dwells on the heartbreak, delivering plenty of wry smiles and surprises as the four adults are forced to confront all the glaring problems in their marriages. Director Anne Sewitsky also makes the point that the games grown-ups play are often as cruel and thoughtless as those of their kids. But the chief pleasure of this bittersweet comedy is the believable transformation of the initially overeager and awkward Kaja into a confident and capable woman.