Agent of Happiness 
Directed by Arun Bhattarai & Dorottya Zurbo 
★★★★
 

HOW can you measure happiness? In Bhutan, supposedly the happiest place on Earth, they use a special formula (Gross National Happiness) and send agents across the country to talk to people from all walks of life asking them 148 questions to discover how happy they are. This in turn will determine the government’s five year development plans. 
 
This fascinating yet bittersweet documentary, directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo, follows happiness agent Amber Kumar Gurung as he embarks on this mass survey with his colleague Guna Raj Kuikel. 
 
The irony is that Amber, who is 40 and still lives with his elderly mother whom he takes care of, is also searching for his own happiness. He is terribly lonely and is desperate to settle down and have children but he cannot find love as he does not have Bhutanese citizenship. This was revoked when he was just two despite his being born in Bhutan, and his applications keep being rejected. He is from the ethnic Nepali community many of whom had their citizenships cancelled in the wake of the 1985 Bhutan Citizenship Act. 
 
Through Amber you meet a wide variety of people whose fascinating personal stories provide the reality behind the stats and figures and life in Bhutan. The film shows what a gorgeous, untouched place it is with its stunning landscapes, and despite all the hardships how happy people are there. 
 
As one of them states “we only have one life to live, so why waste it being sad.” Indeed. 

In cinemas July 12
 

Fly Me To The Moon (12A)
Directed by Greg Berlanti
★★★
 

AS a fast-paced rapid-fire banter-filled ’60s style from-enemies-to-lovers rom com, this is a hugely entertaining delight. 
 
However, setting it against the space race and America’s determination to beat the Russians to the moon with the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, adding the fake moon landing conspiracy to the mix, and doing whatever it takes to sell it to the American public in a bid to make a serious point is where it starts to falter tone-wise. 
 
Directed by Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon) it stars Scarlett Johansson, also a producer, as advertising hotshot Kelly Jones. She is a female Don Draper, who is hired to rehabilitate Nasa’s image and is willing to sell its soul to the devil ie to capitalist corporate companies, to do it to the horror of true blue launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum). 
 
Johansson is on sparkling form as the sassy, whip-smart Marilyn Monroe styled Kelly who runs rings around Cole. Her decent on-screen chemistry with Tatum (the less said about his distracting hair the better) and their feisty dialogue (think Doris Day and Rock Hudson, or Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey) keeps you invested. In the meantime, Woody Harrelson is deliciously Machiavellian as the mysterious government figure pulling all the strings. 
 
It is a slick and stylish crowd pleaser. 

In cinemas July 12

Sleep (15)
Directed by Jason Yu
★★★★

IF you have sleeping issues, this chillingly crafted debut horror film from writer-director Jason Yu may well give you nightmares. 
 
It follows happily married couple Soo-jin (a sublime Jung Yu-mi) and Hyun-su (an outstanding Lee Sun-kyun in his last ever film role) who are expecting their first child. When Hyun-su’s sleepwalking starts to escalate from slightly worrying to truly disturbing putting his family’s and dog’s wellbeing at risk, his wife has to take drastic action. Particularly as Hyun-sun transforms into a completely different person in a spin-chilling turn. 
 
This is a slow burning claustrophobic thriller where the tension and frights increase exponentially as the threats against the pooch and the baby intensify. It is elegantly executed and just when you think it isn’t going to go there, it does. 
 
The question is whether Hyun-sun is possessed by an evil being or is he just suffering from a sleeping disorder? Is Soo-jin overreacting or just losing her mind?
 
This is an impressive first time feature by Yu who is definitely someone to watch.

In cinemas July 12
 
 
 

Longlegs (15)
Directed by Osgood Perkins 
★★★

NICHOLAS CAGE is virtually unrecognisable as the serial killer Longlegs as he delivers another classic bonkers performance in this disquieting and moody horror/crime thriller. 
 
Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, it follows a young FBI agent (Maika Monroe) as she pursues a murderer who persuades the patriarch of his victims to kill his loved ones. She uncovers a series of occult clues which lead her down a dark and twisted rabbit hole. 
 
This satanic horror is all about its disturbing tone and washed out look. It is produced by Cage whose appearances are few, and less is in fact more in this case. 
 
This is a hair-raising and haunting ride in which Cage gives another unforgettable performance. 

In cinemas July 12