Czech documentary filmmaker Filip Remunda, known as one half of the duo that popularised docu-mockumentaries domestically, most recently with Once Upon a Time in Poland [+lee también:
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Happiness to All sits at the intersection of Remunda’s previous work, which includes collaborations with Vitaly Mansky on documentaries about the shifting Russian landscape, such as Eastern Front [+lee también:
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The film is a sociological probe into Russian society before and after the invasion of Ukraine, tracing the ideological undercurrents that have shaped post-Soviet Russia. Over the course of the film, Vitaly marries in his fifties, though his marriage is largely long-distance, and he has frequent conflicts with his parents—former Soviet scientists who revere the stability of the old regime while despising “the Western world”. In one scene, Vitaly’s elderly scientist father chastises the younger generation for obsessing over “getting likes”, while Vitaly himself records a series of online rants and videos on weather phenomena on his videoblog. His character epitomises a generational frustration with authority and the lack of stability common across former Soviet states.

Remunda’s film resonates with Klusák’s The White World According to Daliborek [+lee también:
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The documentary offers a peak of the generational and ideological divisions growing in post-Soviet Russia, where older generations cling to the stability of the past whilst youngsters adopt radicalised views as an outlet for their frustrations. Vitaly’s journey encapsulates this divide, his disenchantment emblematic of a man left behind by a society he once identified with. The documentary opens a rare and unvarnished window onto the life of a real Russian outside of Moscow (the working title was It’s Not Moscow Here!) through a protagonist who unwittingly reveals more than he is aware of. The film also serves as a commentary on the repercussions of prolonged socio-economic disenfranchisement, the allure of authoritarian ideologies in times of upheaval and radicalisation-fuelling frustrations.

Happiness to All is produced by Hypermarket Films in co-production with Volya Films, Mandra Films and the Czech Television. World sales are handled by Andana Films.