"Unhappy" is a very interesting drama that feels very sincere. The film has a raw and minimalist style as we see a single shot of Marc Berger (played by Thomas Goersch, who also wrote and directed the short). Marc is an actor who has decided to record himself and talk about his unhappy life and what an unhappy life it is. It's like Marc was doomed to experience one tragedy after another since childhood when his father walk out on his mother, forcing him to become the man of the house. If that wasn't hard enough, his estranged parents showed no love towards him, and his brothers were far from close to him. So, having to endure a lonely existence as he grew up, it only gets worse when he finds himself in a loveless marriage to a cold husband who he has long since divorced. The unhappiness doesn't stop there, Marc has also suffered from cancer twice alone with no support from his family who he has emancipated himself from, not to mention battling against depression and overcoming his attempts at committing suicide.
Personal problems aren't the only unhappy things in Marc's life. He's also been struggling as an actor to find success and so feels like he's a failure with no creativity, no money, and no real purpose in life.
What is fascinating about the film is that while Marc discusses his unhappy existence, he never once breaks down or cries or shows any sorrow. We get a clear picture that although the unhappiness is a heavy burden for him, he's come to accept the distressing reality that he will never come to know happiness of any kind. Love, fulfillment and success will forever be out of his reach. It's merely a dream which can never come true for him.
The performance by Thomas Goersch feels very sincere, one gets the feeling that while Marc Berger is a fictional character, he has put a lot of truth into the role and is using the film, and the character, as a means of expressing his own unhappiness onto film as a form of catharsis. And if that's not the case, he does a very convincing job of making it seem so.
Overall, Unhappy is drama in its most pure form. No hammy dialogue. No over the top performances, just a man sharing with us what will always be the greatest and most tragic drama of them all: life itself.
It's a must watch film for fans of genuine drama and minimalist art films.
Personal problems aren't the only unhappy things in Marc's life. He's also been struggling as an actor to find success and so feels like he's a failure with no creativity, no money, and no real purpose in life.
What is fascinating about the film is that while Marc discusses his unhappy existence, he never once breaks down or cries or shows any sorrow. We get a clear picture that although the unhappiness is a heavy burden for him, he's come to accept the distressing reality that he will never come to know happiness of any kind. Love, fulfillment and success will forever be out of his reach. It's merely a dream which can never come true for him.
The performance by Thomas Goersch feels very sincere, one gets the feeling that while Marc Berger is a fictional character, he has put a lot of truth into the role and is using the film, and the character, as a means of expressing his own unhappiness onto film as a form of catharsis. And if that's not the case, he does a very convincing job of making it seem so.
Overall, Unhappy is drama in its most pure form. No hammy dialogue. No over the top performances, just a man sharing with us what will always be the greatest and most tragic drama of them all: life itself.
It's a must watch film for fans of genuine drama and minimalist art films.