titre provisoire

A cold case or happiness

Film and research project that developed between an investigation in the archives of the filmmaker, author and psychotherapist Erika Runge and an autotheoretical analysis of happiness. In the 34-minute film loop A cold case or happiness, three performers approach the paradox of a happy life in times of various intersecting crises of the present, such as the housing crisis, the Capitalocene and the post-pandemic society. In a scenic present of contradictions in contemporary Los Angeles, they use their bodies and words to negotiate moments of solidarity and resistance. The film goes back to a question posed by Erika Runge: Can a claim to happiness blow up the system under these specific conditions? The film was realized during a residency at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture.