The ironically titled The Happiest Man in the World is the best work yet from North Macedonian filmmaker Teona Mitevska (God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya). The complex, provocative and blackly humorous narrative is inspired by actual events experienced by Bosnian co- screenwriter Elma Tatargic, years after she was wounded during the siege of Sarajevo. At its center, it questions what elements define us: ethnicity, religion, gender? Which of these unite or divide us? And, perhaps most importantly, can forgiveness start to heal trauma?
The action is set over the course of a day-long speed-dating event at the infamous Sarajevo Holiday Inn. Some of the participants are paired as they arrive, while others meet there to learn more about each other, as do the protagonists Asje and Zoran. As they, along with several dozen others, participate in lightning question rounds and some cringe-inducing games, it becomes clear that Zoran is not looking for love, but forgiveness.–Alissa Simon
Director Biography
Teona Strugar Mitevska has worked as a child actor, painter and graphic designer and studied film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her films include The Woman Who Brushed Off Her Tears (2012), Gospod postoi, imeto i' e Petrunija (2019), and The Happiest Man in the World (2022).