The first thing you notice about The Dead Man and Being Happy (El muerto y ser feliz) is the narration. Breaking every film school precept, the narrator describes what we are seeing for ourselves. Then he confides a fact that we can’t see, but with the caveat, “But you aren’t supposed to know that yet”. As the movie goes on, it’s clear to us that some of the narration is patently false.
And then there’s the sound design: all the sound in the film is abruptly silenced every time the narrator is about to hold forth. The effect of the narration and the sound design is to let us know that The Dead Man and Being Happy is pretty wacky and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Give credit to director and co-writer Javier Rebollo for creating a decidedly offbeat and completely entertaining Argentine road movie. A professional hit man in his sixties (Jose Sancristan) is dying of cancer, loads up with pain medication and goes on a final road trip. He picks up a woman in her mid thirties (Roxana Blanco) with her own demons, and they, seemingly randomly, drive around and across Argentina. We’re not talking tourist Argentina here. The prickly pair drives around way out in the boonies, stopping at shabby roadside cafes and inns, even visiting a lake that belongs in an apocalyptic sci-fi movie. Of course, we all know how the hit man’s trip must end.
The whole ride is funny and curious and intoxicating.