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MIRROR OF HAPPINESS

MIRROR OF HAPPINESS, 2022 (75 minutes) is a fragmented fairytale about love and the longing for connection. Two anti-heroes from Paris run away to Istanbul, and are embraced by the Turkish fashion scene. Hunted down by unknown assassins, they seek a new kind of paradise by the polluted sea. Or perhaps their paranoid fears, and fantasies of nirvana, are fictions of their imagination, and they never leave their hotel room. In a parallel universe unbeknownst to the Istanbul duo, another couple living in New York City undergo a duplicate narrative. Besides these mirror narratives, a trio of dancers weave intermittent allegorical commentary throughout the unfolding of this tale. The movie also features a duo of Ghosts, who dialogue with the film’s scenarios. Loosely adapted from Jean-Luc Godard’s “Pierrot Le Fou.”

  • Samuel E. Samore
    Director
    Hallucinations/Paradise, 2010
  • Sam Samore
    Writer
    Dead in Paris, 2024
  • Armelle Leturcq
    Producer
    Crash Magazine
  • Lolita Chammah
    Key Cast
    "Marianne"
    At Eternity's Gate, 2018
  • Andy Gillet
    Key Cast
    "Pierrot"
    Mystery at the Louvre Museum, 2017
  • Tommy Day Carey
    Key Cast
    "Pierrot"
    Hand of God, 2014-2017
  • Sydney Harris
    Key Cast
    "Marianne"
    Girl on the Edge, 2015
  • Marcus Burnett
    Director of Photography
    The Models, 2020
  • Francois Leturcq
    Editor
    Hallucinations/Paradise, 2010
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 14 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 11, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey, United States
  • Language:
    English, French
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Samuel E. Samore

I have written four published collections of fairytales. I've also exhibited paintings, photographs, and visual art installations around the world. Besides many shorts, I have written and directed two feature length “artist films”: "Hallucinations/Paradise", 2010 and "Mirror of Happiness", 2022. I received a BA in Film /Television at San Francisco State University, and a MFA from the University of New Mexico.

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Director Statement

This film follows ideas from the Theatre of the Absurd - celebrating the sensibilities of such writers as Gertrude Stein and the stream of consciousness narratives of James Joyce. In cinema “Mirror of Happiness” continues in the footsteps of the pioneer Luis Buñuel. Recent examples of Magic Realism would include “The Lobster” by Yorgos Lanthimos, as well as the work of Brit Marling.