Whatever Makes You Happy is the first feature length
offering from writer/director A.T. Sayre. In providing a no-holds-barred view
of the ambivalence that can steadily boil to the surface in some relationships,
Sayre is able to tell a story that is familiar but, with fresh branding and
viewpoint that still keeps viewers consistently engaged and guessing.
The film centers on Anna and Alex – played with subtle
effectiveness by Rachel Delante and Tyler Peck. Anna is a grad school student
majoring in literature and living with her lovably benign boyfriend Kevin –
played by the equally effective Jon Miguel. We learn fairly early on that Anna
is content with her life but, isn’t terribly excited by it. She meets Alex (a
musician) through a mutual friend not knowing that the relatively chance
encounter will quickly escalate into something a lot more serious.
The plot touches on many of the standard reference points
that you’d expect to see in a romantic drama but, avoids the trap of over the
top theatrics. Instead, each of the characters reveals only as much information
at any given point as they’re prepared to which makes them all the more
compelling.
Sayre’s greatest strength is that he was able to tap a nerve
that runs much deeper than the relationships between Anna and the two men in her
life. He forces Anna, Alex, and Kevin to take a hard look in the mirror and at
least ponder, if not answer, the questions: “What do you really want out of
life?” and “How would you feel if you actually got it?”Link to the film's main website:
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