The Way To Happiness

Synopsis

This moving story of the healing power of cinema is a must see for any cineaste In the 1980's, Saul Birnbaum runs a Jack Rabbit Slims style diner, with his film maker friend Joakin, dedicated to both food and films. On the surface, they appear to be two successful businessmen. Underneath, both are suffering trauma - Saul narrowly escaped the Holocaust, while Joakin channels his own experience of fleeing Pinochet's Chilean dictatorship into a period drama about Sauls escape from Nazi Germany as a child. All this hidden tension is finally released when Saul begins a relationship with Hannah, the mysterious projectionist at the local cinematheque. Abkarian is superb as the charismatic, movie loving Saul, who frequently entertains his guests with film quizzes and impressions - a scene where the projector breaks during a screening of The Third Man and Saul regales the audience with a rendition of the cuckoo clock speech being a highlight.