Kumu Documentary: Agent of Happiness
Dir Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó
Bhutan and Hungary 2024, 93 min
In Dzongkha and Nepali, with English subtitles
A Bhutanese “happiness agent” embarks on a journey to measure happiness, his own included.
In the late 1970s, Bhutan’s fourth king declared, “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.” Decades later, this philosophy still guides Bhutan’s policies. This documentary quietly follows two “happiness agents” as they traverse the Bhutanese Himalayas, gathering data for the government’s unique Gross National Happiness Index. Like census workers, they visit remote villages, collecting responses to measure personal well-being. Amber, one of the agents, grapples with his own search for fulfilment.
The film gently encourages viewers to reflect on their own understanding of happiness. As happiness scores ranging from 0 to 10 are calculated, the impossibility of quantifying happiness becomes clear in this contemplative, thought-provoking film.
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