H IS FOR HAPPINESS

'H IS FOR HAPPINESS' TRAILER

Right from the get-go, this feels like an essential family viewing experience. If H is for happiness, it should also be for heartwarming and heartfelt. Renown Australian theatre director John Sheedy crafts an elegant and uncompromising picture. The Albany backdrop is so beautifully put together by the production design team, and yet the film is equally unwavering when it comes to showing the darker side of the story - and there is plenty of it. Candice feels like "happiness has emigrated... and left no forwarding address," and it's hard to disagree with her. She tries so hard to mend her broken family and make friends at school, but things are not always as simple as they seem. Tragedy is sewn throughout the plot, and screenwriter Lisa Hoppe wonderfully channels the pathos from page to screen.

Sheedy does a nice job of using Candice as our lens to this story. We see everything from her perspective and therefore are not necessarily privy to all the information, as should be the case for any 12-year-old. Ultimately, this is about a young girl growing up, trying to hold on to the world she once knew. Axon does a terrific job of holding it all together, as the rest of the cast really stand on her shoulders. It must be said that they are all fantastic. It can be so easy to over-act some of these scenes or feel above the story you are trying to tell, but there is a feeling of great respect to the material amongst everyone involved.

I am not the target audience here, but even I really appreciated the moments of laughter and felt the frustrations of growing up. There is one scene in particular where Douglas Benson From Another Dimension (sorry, but the name is too good not to say in full every time) gives a birthday present to Candice, and it had me in stitches. There is a maturity from Sheedy to know when to make the audience feel good to laugh, and when to bring the tempo down at the appropriate times. This story touches on some very important issues, and it's so refreshing to see a family movie address those issues in a meaningful and honest way.

To talk about why this wasn't the perfect film for me would go too much into spoiler territory, and we wouldn't want that. The cynic in me wanted this film to express their concluding point in more subtle ways, but it's important to remember that this film is targeted to young adults, and therefore should act more as a take-home conversation-starter, rather than anything more concrete.

There are genuinely touching moments, quirky characters, laughter and a closing musical number. I'm not sure what else you could ask for when taking the family to the cinema.

To celebrate the release of 'H is for Happiness' in cinemas, we're giving you the chance to win a double pass.

To win one of five double passes thanks to Universal, just make sure you follow both steps:

Competition opens at 5:00pm AEDT on Sunday 2nd February 2020 and closes at 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 9th February 2020. Five winners will be chosen at random on Monday 10th February 2020. To successfully win, entrants must fulfil the above entry conditions before the time the competition closes. Current members/followers are eligible to enter the competition. Only one entry per person. Only one winner per household. To be a valid winner, the entrant must not have won a prize from SWITCH within the last 28 days. Each winner will receive one double pass to 'H is for Happiness'. By entering, you agree to receive occasional emails from SWITCH in the future. If you decide to unsubscribe from these updates, any further entries will not be applicable. Only Australian residents are eligible to enter.