The Happiness Salesman (2010) User Reviews

Let Sleeping Devils Lie

[dog_lover_twelve · 7/10 · 2 March 2012]

What would happen if you could reset your life and do it right this time, living up to your potential. It's a loaded question for many people, including Karen (Archie Panjabi,) a single mom living in the British Suburbs, who is visited one day by a mysterious stranger (Christopher Eccleston, enigmatic like the Doctor but less benevolently so.) The stranger, who introduces himself as a salesman (see, she should have shut the door in his face right then) offers to help her- for a price. Karen, who wants to be a singer, is the mother of a perpetually crying baby, played by Aaryan Pandit (I often wonder, with horror and curiosity in equal measure, how directors make babies cry the way they do- pinch their little baby cheeks? Slap them?,) for who's existence Karen seems to bear slight regret.

I winced every time the baby emitted a high-pitched wail (sue me, I'm not a baby person,) but it would do me not good to see it hurt, but Eccleston may have something far more sinister in mind.

The acting is strong in this suspenseful horror short, which won best narrative short at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. It is somewhat predictable, and I'm not totally keen on the ideology behind the premise, but it's a helluva lot better than many shorts, even some of the one that get nominated for Oscars.

As a side note- the Youtube video quality was questionable, with the sound/visuals out of sinc, causing distraction. If you can find a better version of the film, by all means do, but if not, watch it anyway, it's worth it. And think twice when a salesman barges into your house eager to sell (philfared?) DVDs. Just a thought.

A charming salesman makes an offer of a lifetime!

[info-403-471794 · 10/10 · 21 June 2012]

What would you do if you were offered the chance to restart your life? Go through school again, restart a career perhaps! Would you take that opportunity or refuse it? That's the position Karen (the gorgeous Archie Panjabi - The Good Wife) a single mother with a baby finds her self in when a charming salesman (Christopher Eccleston - Doctor Who) turns up at her door. The Salesman offers her a once in a life time opportunity for a price.

All three actors, Archie, Eccleston and Aryan Pandit (the baby) give excellent performances in this psychological horror. The BAFTA nominated director Majumdar even manages to get the baby (Aryan) to cry and moan right on cue!

The film won several best short film awards and in my opinion is several degrees better than Oscar and BAFTA winners.

Kaos Films the producers of this film as well as multi-award winning THE HANDYMAN which starred Greta Scacchi have put some of their films on their youtube channel kaosfilmsuk which is of much better quality than the pirated copies on other sites.

I highly recommend this film.

Why?

[ree-bee103 · 3/10 · 19 August 2023]

It's a narrative that is just so overdone - women sacrificing their dreams for the suburban life and their baby. As if once you have children, you now have to resign yourself to a mediocre life. This narrative is just not one that I agree with. People who achieve great things in the world very often have children. Women who are single mothers can build support networks out of family and friends and give themselves time for fun or for pursuing the career they want. I found it disturbing how the film hinted at the mother killing her baby. This might be considered "high art" or "art house", but in my mind it's just horror for horror's sake and, in the process, sending a damaging message to women. It's effective and engaging to shock and disturb your audience. Yes the film is well made, the acting is great, the direction, but what message and what idea are you creating and putting out there in the world? And why?