Agent of Happiness

Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó's 2024 documentary is about the happiness survey in Bhutan. The country measures wellbeing through gross national happiness; officials travel village to village asking questions and assigning scores. The documentary follows one of them. Amber Kumar Gurung measures the happiness of others while lacking citizenship papers of his own; the narrative shows that contradiction without underlining it, and in doing so marks the limit of measurement. The interviews are given directly, with people obliged to translate their debts, their loneliness and their hopes onto a numerical scale. The documentary passes no verdict on the state's policy. Who it's for: those curious about Bhutan and about systems of measurement. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a critique of the policy; the documentary leaves the question open.