How to Find Happiness

A slender, serious physician, Toshihide lives with his grandfather and their housemaid Kiyo-san, in a house-turned-clinic in a coastal town. One day, Toshihide’s aunt walks in with a young tourist, Ako, who bears a striking resemblance to the woman he has feelings for. When Ako moves into his house following issues with her hotel, Toshihide discovers that she carries a lot more baggage than fits into her luggage.

Ako’s entry into Toshihide’s life might feel like the work of fairies, but Nagasaki Shunichi’s light-footed romantic drama follows the wayward laws of human existence. How to Find Happiness doesn’t need to play up the mystery or trauma of Ako, instead laying its cards on the table. Daily life quite naturally progresses like an unpredictable cheerful sitcom, with upbeat music, warm colours, ample slapstick humour and performances stylised for falling in love.

How to Find Happiness is a work of intimacy and compassion, inspiring the letting go of romantic preoccupations and stubbornness. The cordial and benevolent attitude of the film makes a case for accepting people as they are. As well, it finds heart in the notion of home and family – even an oddball one – with a series of mouth-watering scenes of cooking, table-setting, and dining.

– Srikanth Srinivasan