Last month, I wrote about the 25-year anniversary of Todd Solondz’ “Happiness.” A little over 25 years after its Cannes debut, this film still rattles people. It seems to have aged just fine.
The film tackled pedophilia, murder, rape, depression, abuse, and loneliness — all seen via the mundane nature of suburban American life. In its mosaic depiction of unhappy people, it also illustrated how we can be responsible for the anguish of others.
In an interview with Hungary’s RTL, Solondz looks back on the film and how it would be utterly impossible for it to get made today:
The world is very different today, I don't think anyone could make this film. I'm not just talking about raising money, but the whole cultural environment. This was already a sensitive topic 25 years ago, I don't think anyone would invest money in such a film today.
Though disturbing and a hard watch, “Happiness” is a great film and also a very funny one. As it stands, Solondz’s best films are his first three: 1996’s “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” 1998’s “Happiness” and 2001’s “Storytelling.”
I wasn’t sure what the status of Solondz’s next project, “Love Child,” was, but it looks like he might finally be making it soon. In the RTL interview, Solondz says he left his teaching gig at New York University to make this film.
I don’t want to get into it right now, the stress is overwhelming, but I will be shooting something very soon. I think it’s going to be a fun film. My most audience-friendly, as far as I can be “audience-friendly” and ”commercial”.
“Love Child” is set to be his first film since 2016’s “Wiener-Dog.” Hopefully, it’s better than his last few (“Dark Horse,” “Life During Wartime”). Solondz is a filmmaker that we should always be keeping an eye out for.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.