Happiness Blu-Ray

As disturbingly funny as it is audaciously empathetic, auteur of unease Todd Solondz's portrait of damaged souls reaching out for connection reveals the existential void underneath middle-class suburban normalcy. An extraordinary ensemble cast-including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jane Adams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ben Gazzara, and Dylan Baker-embodies an array of loosely connected New Jersey deviants, depressives, and misfits, among them a frustrated phone-sex pest, an all-American dad concealing his paedophilic urges, and a lonely woman with a grisly secret, all of whom want just one thing: to be loved. One of the most controversial films of the 1990s, the unflinching Happiness unnerves precisely because it dares to see the humanity in those most often denied it. FILM INFO- United States- 1998- 140 minutes- Colour- 1.85:1- English DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES- New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Maryse Alberti, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack- New conversation between director Todd Solondz and filmmaker Charlotte Wells- New interview with actor Dylan Baker- Trailer- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing- PLUS: An essay by novelist and screenwriter Bruce Wagner- New cover based on original poster art by Daniel Clowes